Two Kittens & 100 Monkeys
by BeattySt
Summary: The Switchblade Kittens are on their US tour, but when their management company pairs them with 100 Monkeys & a certain Jackson Rathbone things quickly heat up & not in a good way! Love, jealousy & mystery: who knows what will happen & who will survive?
1. Chapter 1

**All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.**

CHAPTER 1  
>LOU'S POV<p>

I high-fived Jane as we walked off stage, "That seemed to go really well?"

"Yeah, awesome!" she replied, pulling the guitar strap from over her neck, "First one of many". We bumped fists in our post-gig ritual. We had just played our first gig in the states, after being picked up by a small American label and were on the long slog to work our way across the country. The problem was, our manager had only been able to book us a few gigs so far, and we were waiting to hear back from the label if we'd got a support slot with another of their bands to help promote The Switchblade Kittens.

I was buzzing so much from the set we'd just played that I was shocked to see a giant banana walking towards us. That is, a man in a giant banana suit walking towards us.

"Um, Jane? There's a giant bananaman coming this way...?"

Jane looked up from her guitar case, "Huh?" I pointed as the giant banana came over.

"Great show, girls" he said offering his hand. Jane and I looked at each other with wide eyes. "Uhhh, thanks?" I said, tentatively shaking his hand.

"Oh, sorry, yeah, I'm Marty, I'm the manager for 100 Monkeys. Or rather, the Bananamanager!", he said, pointing to his costume.

"Of course," I let out a small laugh, "Who else would you be?", Jane smirked at my sarcasm, she got my dry sense of humour.

"Sorry," she said, shaking Marty's hand, "But who or what are the 100 Monkeys again?"

"Oh, did Sam not tell you?" said Marty, looking around for our manager. "I thought he would have given you the good news?"

We both shook our heads. In the corner of my eye I saw the stage hand wheeling out my drum kit, "It's ok," I called out, "I can dismantle it". I was so used to moving our own gear that I still felt weird having roadies to do it for us. Jane always had her guitar with her, and refused to let anyone else carry it for her, which in the early days when we had to go to gigs on the tube in London made travelling a bit difficult sometimes.

"What good news?" said Jane, "Sam hasn't told us anything". Just as we spoke, our American manager came rushing over.

"Lou, Jane, I've got great news" he said, "Oh Marty, hi, how are you?" he shook hands with the giant banana.

"Yeah, the banana dude said there was news?" I said. Sam was cool, but we hadn't worked with him for long and he seemed a bit flaky in the giving news department. He had only told us about our first booking the day before, so we'd had to quickly rehearse a set list before we'd even gotten over the jet lag. He was short, with dark curly hair and always wore those boot lace ties around his neck. He'd been assigned to us by the record label but I wasn't convinced by his amount of experience. I had a secret theory he was the son of someone at the label and had been given The Switchblade Kittens to keep him out of the way. But still, at least he wasn't wearing a banana costume.

"Girls," began Sam, "Marty is the manager of 100 Monkeys, the band you'll be supporting!"

"Awesome!" said Jane. Things were happening fast for us.

"The boys were watching you from backstage and seemed to like your style" said Marty. I wondered if he wore that suit ALL the time, or only on official business?

Jane interrupted, "Seemed?"

"They're great guys, honestly great guys" said Marty, a little too enthusiastically for my liking.

"So, what type of music do the 100 Monkeys play?" I asked. I was always up for hearing new bands and getting into more music.

"Quite bluesy, funky rock and roll" he replied.

"Sounds good" I nodded, Jane agreed. "When can we meet them?"

"Well, their gig at The Phoenix is tomorrow, so you'll start your support then?"

"Tomorrow?" I glared at Sam, who simply shrugged his shoulders. "Doesn't give us much time to rehearse, does it?", said Jane. It was a lot to take in, but we loved music so much it wasn't going to be much of a problem.

"I've booked some time in the rehearsal studio for you tomorrow morning, I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of your stuff" Marty gave us all another nod before bounding off.

"I suppose we'd better get an early night then?" I said to Jane, as Sam pulled out the details for the studio to give to Jane.

"Uh, Sam, what did he mean by 'seemed' to like us?" Jane asked.

"Oh, nothing for you two to worry about...", Sam trailed off.

"Sam!" we both exclaimed. He held his hands up. "Look, it's not that bad. It's just that the band originally wanted their friend's band to support them, but the label thought they were too, how shall we say, avante garde, as they want to make them more mainstream, so they're not overly happy about having a new support band at such short notice."

"We're hardly mainstream, though, are we Sam?" He took a second to look at us. Both Jane and I opted for a vintage style whilst we were performing, kinda rockabilly meets 1940's look. Jane looked like Suzy Quattro, with long dark wavy hair and her favourite black leather cuffs. I was wearing one of my favourite vintage dresses with my hair in victory rolls. Our music was slightly off-kilter too. We were mainly a rock band, me on drums and Jane on lead guitar, but we swapped instruments all the time. We had some cool, fast songs in our repertoire but for our assault on America we'd started experimenting with some more country and blues stuff, which had got the label interested in the first place.

"Yes" he said, "But you are marketable! Two attractive girls like you who play amazing music? You're like an all-female White Stripes!"

Jane groaned, she hated that comparison. "So, they already hate us then, because we've taken their mate's slot? Well, the next few weeks are going to be awkward!"

I started to put my kit away to wheel into The Beast, our VW camper van which we bought with our first advance. Hopefully we'd get enough back on ticket sales to keep us going.

"Don't worry" said Sam, "it will be fine. They're bound to love you!".

Jane shook her head as she lifted her case and walked outside. "Drink?" she asked me, loading up the van.

"Are we sleeping in the van tonight then?" I said, imagining us curled up around my drum kit.

"I'll spring for a hotel again for you two tonight" said Sam, pointing out a hotel across the road from the bar we'd just played in. "You can park The Brute over there."

"The Beast", I corrected him.

"OK, whatever. Look, I can't hang around now but you two celebrate the good news and I'll meet you at the rehearsal space in the morning. Will you be needing these still?" he said, lifting my sticks off me.

"Ah, no, probably won't need them in the bar!" I laughed, tossing them into the back of the van.

An hour later, after we'd checked in and freshened up, Jane and I were at the bar toasting our drinks.

"To the band!" she cheered, clinking her glass against mine.

"To the Queen!" I laughed, taking a swig. I wiped my mouth. "So, what do you reckon to the tour so far?"

"Doesn't seem too bad. Could be fun, if the 100 Monkeys and their psychedelic band friends don't murder us in our sleep first" she joked.

I nudged her shoulder, "Dude! It's actually happening, we're on tour with an actual proper band! And Sam the Man's sprung us a hotel room so we can sleep in a proper bed tonight. We're living the dream!" Jane laughed, and tapped her glass against mine again.

"We should probably talk about the set list" I said, trying to shout over the noise of the bar.

"Yeah," she shouted back. "I was thinking kicking off with Woo Hoo, and then doing some of the new stuff..." she started, before she was interrupted by a guy in a black suit and trilby bumping into her, spilling her drink.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" he said. He had a southern accent, and bright green eyes. He had dark wavy hair underneath his hat and was pretty cute.

"Not to worry" said Jane, dabbing herself with a napkin, "it happens!"

"Please, let me buy you another one. What were you drinking? Jack and coke?"

"Nah, it's alright it was only a few drops" she said, showing him the glass.

The guy laughed. "I can't quite believe you're actually British!"

"Huh?" I said. Who was this guy?

"Sorry, it's just after listening to you two play it was weird hearing you have British accents", he said, breaking into a mischievous smile.

"Oh, you saw us earlier?" I said, hoping he was a fan and not about to belittle us.

"You were, well, you were actually pretty good" he said, smiling and putting his hands into his pockets.

"You sound surprised?" said Jane, taking another sip.

"Well, when the record company told us you'd be our support act we weren't sure what to think of a band called the Switchblade Kittens! But we thought we'd at least give you a chance before the tour starts."

Oh sheez, I thought. He's in the 100 Monkeys, he's meant to hate us.

Jane stirred her drink with her straw, "I'm glad you liked us. Do you usually show your appreciation by spilling people's drinks?"

"Ah, no, sorry about that. No hard feelings though?" he pulled a jokey, sad face.

I shook my head. "Should there be? We heard that you and your band weren't overly enthralled with us supporting you?"

He shifted slightly. "Yeah, well, they were our friends but obviously the head honchos had other ideas. But me and the guys kinda liked what we heard tonight, so I'm sure we can make it work"

"Thanks" I said, trying to hide my sarcasm. Jane drained the rest of her drink. "Cool. Hopefully we'll get to hear you play tomorrow. Are you guys any good?"

He laughed. "Good? We're amazing!"

"Oh, and modest too!" joked Jane.

The stranger laughed again. "Well, if I can't buy you two ladies a drink I guess I'll be making my way. Sure was nice to meet the Kittens!". He bowed his head, and took a step backwards.

"Ah, she said she didn't want a drink," I said, pointing to Jane, "I said nothing of the sort. Although, it wasn't my drink you spilled."

He was about to reply when a girl came bounding over and flung her arms around him. "Oh my God IT'S YOU!" she screeched.

"Ahh, yes, it's me!" laughed the guy, raising his eyebrows at us over the girl's shoulder.

"I can't believe it's you! Are the rest of the monkey's here?"

"No, but there's a massive banana doing the rounds!" I shouted over the din of the bar.

The guy looked at me as he disentangled himself from the overly enthusiastic girl. "Actually, yes, they're just over there," he said, indicating the other side of the bar.

The girl gave a little hop, "Oh my God, can I meet them? I LOVE 100 Monkeys, I'm your biggest fan!"

"Sure, sure" he said, guiding her away. He tilted his hat at us. "Ladies".

"Oh my GAWD! I'm your BIGGEST FAN!" mimicked Jane.

I nudged her again. "Don't be mean, you're just jealous!"

"True dat" said Jane, leaning against the bar. "Do you think we'll have fans like that?"

"Probably. Only probably less blonde and bubbly." I replied. "What did you think of Mr Cutey?" I said, searching for him through the crowd. I could see him and the blonde talking with a group of guys dressed similar to him, in black suits and white shirts.

"Alright, I suppose" said Jane. "I wonder what the rest of the monkeys are like?"

"Hopefully if their manager dresses in a giant banana costume they'll have a decent sense of humour. I guess we'll find out tomorrow?"

Jane nodded in agreement. I caught sight of Mr Handsome looking at her from across the room.

Well, I thought to myself, this is going to be verrrry interesting.

**Hey all! Thanks for reading my story - if anyone has any thoughts please let me know! I will add a chapter, at least once a week - so stay tuned!**


	2. Chapter 2

**All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. **

CHAPTER TWO  
>JANE'S POV<p>

We wrapped our jackets around us and ran for the van. Sam had booked us in early at the studio and we had slept in. I assume the 100 Monkeys got the better slot, and were probably going to have a lie in and a massive breakfast waiting.

One day, I told myself. No time to shower, Lou and I had grabbed our clothes and jumped into the back of the van. I loved the Beast, but I was definitely looking forward to at least sleeping in a proper bed for a while - despite having to tour with a bunch of strangers who already decided to hate us (cute tho' one of them may be).

"Ow! Stupid van!" Lou sat up after banging her head on the roof for what seemed like the 10th day in a row. The seats had begun to fall apart, so you never really knew where you would land when you sat on them. It was like our own real-life 'pop up pirate'.

"Come on", I said, throwing a pile of newspapers and candy at her "I'll quickly get dressed and let's get out of here. Sam's given me directions for the studio. I don't want anymore run in's with Sam OR the monkey band, we look like crap and our van stinks!"

"Good point. Oh my god! I knew I recognised him!" Lou held up the magazine she was looking at - smack bang in the middle of the celeb column was a picture of the 100 Monkeys guy from last night, in a vest. Yum.

"It says here he's in that Twilight film! Why didn't Sam tell us?"

"Twilight? But we did that launch party in London for it, do you remember? Who was he in it?"

Lou shrugged her shoulders, "I dunno, not seen it yet. Says here...Jasper?"

Jasper? We were going to have to rent that movie asap.

Lou flicked through the pages. "Of course Sam wants us to tour with them, they'll get loads of publicity, he'll make loads more at the door! I bet he's rubbing his hands. I bet they're a rubbish band, too. The place will be swamped with crying girls! What's the betting we won't see any of that profit!"

"Let's just get out of here". I was too hungover for this now. "We'll talk to Sam when we get there. We have about 2 hours to sort out what we'll say to him. Can you drive? I'll find the map." I chucked the keys to her.

I pulled my jeans on and looked through guitar cases, drum skins and bags trying to find my hoody. I was _definitely _looking forward to living in a hotel now.

Minutes later we were sat in silence, listening to Lou trying to start the engine, over, and over, again. Stupid van. "How long till we give up trying?"

"Now" I said. My head was really pounding now. I felt rough, and wanted a shower. Who said this life was glamorous? "Pass me a spanner".

"Like you know what to do with a spanner" Lou rolled her eyes and passed me the tool bag we had tucked under the seat.

I jumped out into the cold, ran round to the front of the car and managed to find the catch for the bonnet. Right, first bit done. Lou must have felt sorry for me, she jumped out and helped me lift and prop it up.

"At least no one's around" she said stepping back to look at the engine. "We look like crap!"

"OK - let me just whack it a few times or something" I hurled the spanner at a particularly flat bit of metal right in the middle (I know nothing about cars), I felt the thud and vibrations travel up my arm, I felt it tingle as I watched my arm fly back behind me, letting go of the spanner. As if I was watching in slow motion, I saw it spin towards a white SUV heading towards us. I locked eyes with the driver, a guy about my age with a face like thunder, heard the screech of tyres and then the clink and crunch of metal as the spanner landed in the middle of his roof.

I stood and stared at him with my mouth open. Lou stood still with her mouth hanging open. The passenger, (who I now knew to be Jackson Rathbone of Twilight fame) sat with his mouth open.

"What the f..?" The guy got out of his car, fuming, looking like he'd tear us, and the car apart.

"Jerad. Chill." Jackson got out of the car. "Got me back for spilling your drink uh?" he said to me.

"Uh, sorry - accident" Jesus, I felt like a twat. "We'll pay you back".

"With what?" Jerad said, looking us up and down. "That's gonna cost thousands! Like you can afford that!"

"You arrogant prick!" Uh oh, Lou was getting angry, "We'll talk to Sam and get out of here, I'm not dealing with this for 3 months".

I was still frozen on the spot, I hadn't showered, brushed my hair and I was stood opposite my new enemies (one of them a movie star and gorgeous) after vandalising their car. Mortified.

Jackson tucked his hair behind his ears and shrugged. He was _definitely _cute. "I'll call someone, get them to come fix your car - hold tight". I watched him share a look with Jerad, who seemed to have calmed down, although still not looking particularly friendly. He got back in the driver's seat.

"Don't worry about the car, we'll sort that out later - sorry about him" he pointed at Jerad "Long night".

"I bet" I said, remembering the plethora of girls surrounding them last night. Ooops. He was smirking at me. I definitely looked like a loon.

"So, uh, yeah", he pulled a bunch of papers from the car. "Here" he said, handing them to me "the location's for the next few weeks at least". Thanks, I smiled at him. "We'll see you later then".

They drove off and we jumped back in the van. "Sh*t! I'm so sorry! How can we pay for that?"

"WE?" Lou shouted, although I knew she was just still angry at that Jerad twat.

"Ok" I handed her the papers Jackson had given me. "We'll call Sam on the way to Virginia, tell him we'll do a few more nights, but look for another band to tour with". A brief image of Jackson's crooked smile floated before me. I swatted it away. A stupid crush would not worth the hostility from them for the rest of the tour.

I drummed my hands against the window, waiting for the pick up truck to arrive. Uh -oh. Maybe he didn't call anyone? Sh*t! What if he really did want to get us back and just left us here! Bastards!

"Oh. My. God!" Lou sat up, snapping me back from my thoughts. "We're heading to Texas! It's our mecca! We've made it!" She held out the papers,

- West Virginia  
>- Kentucky<br>- Missouri  
>- Arkansas<br>- **TEXAS**

She was right, we had made it. "That has to be our best gig ever!" I screamed. "Let's get a new set list together now". I grabbed our notebook from the back and started writing. This was our dream, TEXAS was at the heart of our music nowadays; this was going to be awesome.

Minutes later we looked up and saw the flashing lights of the tow truck in the rear view mirror. "OK" Lou said grabbing the keys, "we'll do the tour, keep to ourselves, not get in any more arguments and just play some great music. We don't have to be friends with them".

"Agreed".

Although I had a feeling things weren't going to be that easy.

**Do the Monkeys hate the Kittens? And does Jane fancy Jackson after all? Please let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Any resemblance to any persons is coincidental, and I do not own any of the songs mentioned below.**

CHAPTER 3  
>LOU'S POV<p>

We only ended up being half an hour late for the rehearsal. As I pulled the Beast into the car park, I turned to Jane,

"You know, we could have slept a bit longer AND had a shower and still would have got here at the same time?"

Jane nodded, "Hmmmmmm mmmm" she said, absentmindedly. She was lost in a sea of set lists for the tour that we had, somewhat begrudgingly agreed we were going to do. Despite getting off to a bad start with at least two of the Monkeys, we were both excited at the prospect of playing in Texas. And, in the short term, about playing now.

A few minutes later we dashing through the corridors looking for 1A. It was a big building which reminded me of an old school, with old radiators and swinging fire doors. A big old guy who looked like a fatter version of Iggy Pop with a white beard and boot lace tie like Sam's was waiting for us with arms folded at the doors to our studio.

"Sorrreeeeee!" I said, as I rolled my bass drum toward him with my feet, snare in one hand and cymbals tucked under my other arm. He held open the door as I made the last frantic dash before everything slipped out of my hands.

"You get here 30 minutes late, so you'll get half an hour less" he sighed, picking up my sticks that had rolled out of my pocket.

"Sorry. Again," I said feeling a bit flustered, taking the sticks from him. "We got a bit, ah, delayed on the way here." I still had a slight burn in my chest from all the excitement earlier on, and what with running into the studio I was eager to start hitting my drums as soon as I could.

He shook his head again and pointed into the studio room. Jane closely followed me, carrying both of our guitar cases. "Wow!"

Studio 1A was a big long room, with large framed windows, solid wood floors and afghan rugs scattered around. Fat Iggy pointed to one corner, "That's the chill area if you want to take a break" There was an old chesterfield sofa in one corner next to a battered arm chair, a cool 70's coffee table, and a clear fridge stocked with water and beer. "Although, I doubt you'll have much time for that now..." he said sarcastically.

Jane pursed her lips and walked around, as if she was checking out a new apartment. There was an old piano in there too, although not a baby grand, and some tambourines laying about. "Yeah, this isn't too bad, not too bad at all!" She turned back to me with a huge grin and we bumped fists.

"This is awesome, dude!"

"I know!"

Fat Iggy stood with his arms folded, his back to the door. "Well it's a huge SHAME you are only going to be here for, oh, one hour and 28 minutes, actually, now it's more like one hour and 25 minutes" he said loudly, making a big show of looking at his fake Rolex.

"Alright dude, chill! You're about to watch the magic happen!" said Jane, plugging her guitar into her amp.

I gave his tie playful tug before I bounded over to my kit and started assembling it. He quickly ran through the fire procedure and everything else we needed to know and we were itching to get started.

A few minutes later we had played some of our favourite songs to warm up and were starting to move on to what songs we were going to play that night at the Phoenix. As we were playing, I could feel my bad mood from earlier was lifting, although I was aware something wasn't quite right with my kit, as the bass was 'ringing' too much and I was drowning out Jane and her guitar. I had already stuffed in the jacket I was wearing, but it wasn't helping.

I looked over at Jane and could see something was on her mind between songs and I had a hunch it probably wasn't my drums.

"You ok?" I said, chucking her a water bottle.

"Yeah, just hungover I guess. Urrggh, I feel gross!" she groaned, sipping the water.

It had started to get hot in the rehearsal studio and I was glad I'd pulled on a cotton dress in my rush to get dressed this morning. Suddenly, I felt a cold draft on my legs and saw in the corner of my eye the door to the studio was slightly ajar. Glad of the cool air I ignored it and turned back to Jane.

"So, I've not seen any crazed Twilight fans trying to hang us by our guitar strings yet, think we might be in the clear?"

Jane took a quick glance around. "Guess not," she said, shrugging her shoulders and draining the rest of the bottle. "Imagine if I'd killed Jasper, they really would have lynched me"

"Hey, if you had killed them I would have lynched you too! Nothing is stopping me from getting to Texas, even if it's with a handsome movie star with a spanner hanging out the side of his head!" I tapped the side of my head to emphasise my point.

"Ha!" she replied. "It would probably have been an improvement!"

"Yeah right, like you totally didn't notice he's so hot in person?"

"Maybe, maybe not. He's alright, if you like that sort of thing"

I started a beat, "And you my dear", I said over my cymbals, "DO like that sort of thing!"

Jane laughed and shook her head and went into the next song.

As we got our groove on it got hotter again, when I felt another cold blast from the door. I continued playing, thinking it was bound to be Fat Iggy coming back to harass us about something or other when I glanced back again, and could see a tall figure in a black t shirt, leaning against the door frame. Grinning at me. I kept the rhythm up as Jane was playing an awesome solo, but craned my head slightly to see who had the gorgeous smile. I almost dropped my drum sticks when the big, gorgeous smile was replaced by Jerad, glaring at me from the corridor. I felt a red mist come over me as I recalled our meeting this morning. Gritting my teeth, I started to really hammer out the rest of the song.

Before Jane had barely finished the last song I hit my sticks together and screamed "Woo Hoo!", indicating the next song I wanted to play. It had a great drum solo which I loved playing and was a cool happy song that I knew it would make me feel immediately better.

I tried to ignore Jerad giving me the evil eye, but couldn't help but glance up in case The Smile was back. Jerad pointed the fingers at me in the shape of a gun, and was just about to "fire" when I launched into my solo. At that point, I didn't care and just let my aggression out on my drums.

Looking towards the door again when we'd finished, there was a smile again, except this time it had a different owner. Jackson was coming towards us, slowly clapping his hands.

"Wow, that was even better than last night! That shock this morning must have done you good!"

Jane rolled her eyes, and moved to start fiddling with her amp. I could see underneath her hair she was blushing. I opened my mouth in exclamation as Jackson got nearer, trying to catch her eye but she wouldn't look up.

"You know, it's just a shame you're getting too much bass" he said, tapping my kit with his foot. I looked straight at him, "I know, we didn't pack enough hoodies, evidently"

"No worries" he said with a grin, pulling off the sweat shirt he was wearing and offering it to me. My eyes widened as I took in his body.

"Uh, thanks. Are you sure, even after we tried to kill you?" I said, stuffing his jumper into the hole of the bass drum.

He laughed, rubbing his hands together, and I could see his arm muscles flexing under his t shirt. I flared my nostrils at Jane to make her laugh, knowing she was taking this in too.

"Yeah, our brush with death earlier. You're a pretty good shot with a wrench, you know" he said, leaning on Jane's mic stand. Jane tilted her head to one side, "How's your buddy? He looked really pissed off with us?"

"Well, he did just have a wrench thrown at his head, but he's cool"

"Sorry, it was an accident though. Thanks for sorting out the rescue truck. And, sorry, again."

Jackson smiled another heart melting crooked smile, "Well, it's not every day a gorgeous damsel in distress catches your attention in such a manner!"

He leaned in closer as Jane rocked back on her heels and tuned her guitar, not breaking his eye contact. Was she smiling?

Leaning on the mic stand, he pointed at her Les Paul Gibson, "Nice guitar" he said, with a big grin.

"Errr, thanks." she replied, raising an eyebrow. He paused for a second before chuckling to himself, like we didn't understand his 'joke'. I squinted my eyes trying to work out why he was so familiar. Hmmm, did he used to be a blond? I pondered.

The door to the studio swung open and I stifled a cough as Jerad and what I presumed to be the rest of the 100 Monkeys sauntered into the room. Jerad was still giving me daggers. I fixed my jaw and stared right back. That arrogant jerk wasn't going to intimidate me.

Jackson spun around and introduced the rest of the band. "Ladies, you've already met J-Rad", I let out a sarcastic "Huh!" as Jerad raised one arm and saluted us from his eyebrow.

"These are the Bens, J and G" said Jackson, waving to the first two guys, one who was very tall with shaggy hair, the other slightly shorter with dark curly hair. Next to them was an old dude in a cool trilby, probably the only person in the room who would be able to carry one off. "This is Uncle" he said, as the dude smiled and tipped his hat to me and Jane.

"And this train wreck at the end is my buddy James" laughed Jackson, slapping the guy at the end on his back. James laughed and gave him a playful punch, and I realised he was the owner of the gorgeous smile at the door. I straightened in my seat and started flexing my fingers, rolling my drum sticks around in a bid to calm myself. James was cute! But like Jackson, he was also strangely familiar. I couldn't quite place him, but he was so good looking I hadn't realised I was spinning my stick in my right hand so fast that it came flying at and crashing across the floor. Right at his feet.

I scrambled from my stool as he bent and picked it up, smiling that smile again as he rose and handed it back to me. I honestly nearly gave out an audible sigh as he looked me in the eyes.

"This is nice and all" interrupted Jane, "but we only have a few minutes of rehearsal left, so if you don't mind?"

"Oh, don't mind us" said Ben G, as he lowered himself onto the sofa in the corner, whilst the rest of the Monkeys sprawled out. "We just wanted to check out why exactly you're better than The Kissing Club".

Damn, I'd forgotten they already hated us. The Kissing Club must have been the band we'd taken over from and this morning must have been the icing on the cake. Jane leant over my kit.

"Are they seriously going to watch us for the rest of the rehearsal? It feels like we're at an audition!" she whispered.

"It looks like it. What should we play?"

"Let's just let them have it, show them how good we are. We don't need this for the next few months!"

I shook my head slowly "Keep focused Lou! Take your eyes off him for a sec, will you?" I looked at her agog. "Soz, J. Let's do this before Fat Iggy comes back and tells us off for letting them put their feet on the furniture."

She walked back to the stand before I beckoned her back, "But do you think James is coming on the tour too?" I said, giving her a grin. She laughed and went back to adjust her mic.

I felt a bit embarrassed Jane could see I that had locked onto Jackson's friend James, so I decided I was going to put all thoughts of him to the back of my mind and give it my all. Whether we could get to Texas all hung on this next performance.

I hit my sticks together, "One, two, one-two-three...!"

**What do you think? Have the Kittens managed to win over the Monkeys? Who is the mysterious James? There's plenty more to come as the tour gets underway! Please review, and thoughts or feedback gratefully received!**


	4. Chapter 4

**All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental, and I do not own any of the songs mentioned throughout.**

CHAPTER FOUR  
>JANE'S POV<p>

The next morning we slept in, ate the best fried breakfast ever, and chilled in the hotel. We had an awesome rehearsal yesterday, (if I do say so myself), Lou and I were pretty confident we've now gained the Monkey's respect music-wise, but there was definitely mixed feelings when it came to any other interaction with them.

Lou was out on the balcony, enjoying the sunshine lost in her thoughts. We were both uncharacteristically quiet. I could imagine what, or who, Lou was thinking about - and I definitely knew what I was thinking about. Jackson. He was so hot I couldn't keep my eyes off him. Of course, he's a movie star - they all have to look super hot. (It was still nice to have some eye candy on tour though...)

Anyway, we now had to focus. Yesterday we had hung around long enough to hear a couple of 100 Monkey's songs, they were good, although they had a different sound to us, and I knew our music would compliment each other. After hearing them I had tried to get us out of there ASAP - things were getting weird. I pretended to pack away my guitars whilst the band played. I kept catching Jackson's eye, and it was turning me into an idiot. Lou however, looked pretty cosy sat next to that James guy she seemed to have taken a liking to. They were chatting away, not even paying attention to the band; it was like no one else was in the room. Just as well - that Jerad guy couldn't keep his eyes off Lou the whole time, although he still looked pretty angry. I wondered what his problem was. I was the one who damaged his car, not her.

Lou walked back into the room and grabbed the set list and started flicking through it.

"What you gonna wear tonight?" she said raising her eyebrows at me. "You er, picking out something special?" She was wearing one of her annoyingly knowing smiles.

"I will be wearing my usual vintage t-shirt and jeans. Just like always," I said in my best haughty voice.

"Oh come on, it's not like everyday a movie star asks you out for drinks after the gig you supported him in, does it?"

"He didn't ask me out", I sighed, "He suggested that if BOTH of us were still around we might see them in the hotel bar, later. "

"So, we'll be there?"

"Why, want to ogle at James so me more?" I said, teasing her. "_He's _pretty, hot - what did he say?"

"Nothing much." Lou was acting coy now. "It was hard to hear anyway, the band were playing, remember? And that Jerad guy is still pissed off with me, I can tell. If he's calmed down to tonight, I might buy him a drink for goodwill. And I'll look like the bigger person in front of James!" She finished with a wink.

Later that evening Lou and I got a pretty great reaction from the audience, we stormed our performance, Lou's idea to start with 'Woo Hoo' worked so well. We got the crowd going, and more and more people seemed to enter the venue. It was getting hot in here and I was buzzing. I could tell Lou was happy too - we high-fived as usual, and started packing up our instruments.

"Uh oh" Lou pointed out to the audience, "Check out the screaming girls..." So that's why the crowd started to fill as we finished. This could get VERY annoying.

"Never mind" I shouted over the screams of young girls, (the roadies had started to set up for the 100 Monkeys), "Let's get out of here and hit the bar, we totally deserve it!"

Lou grabbed her sticks, I grabbed my guitar and swung round and followed her down the dark staircase to the dressing room. I had just got to near the bottom, and Jackson had already begun climbing, the staircase was pretty narrow, we locked eyes just as we reached the same step. He was already grinning as we both put our backs against the wall in order to pass each other. He pressed up against me for just a little bit too long, and I couldn't help but smile, either. I secretly hoped I would see him later.

Two hours later, after two bottles of prosecco, Lou and I were feeling pretty merry. We were celebrating our first successful gig as a supporting band, and this time doing it with style, instead of huddled in the van drinking 'Blue Nun'. "Cheers to that!"

We were deciding what song to start with tomorrow, when Jerad came up behind us and put his hands on our shoulders.

"I demand you lovely Brits come sit and drink with the most humble of Monkey's, of which there are hundreds" he finished with a bow. Lou and I raised our eyebrows at each other. She turned to face him.

"Are you drunk?"

"Only on the joy that playing music brings, my dear". He held her elbow and steered her towards the back of the bar, where the rest of the band were heading to a reserved table. I followed, my eyes instinctively found Jackson's. He smiled, but seemed to be distracted, his eyes continued to search the bar as we sat down. We were in a semi-circular booth; Lou was on the far left, closest to the edge. Jerad sat next to her, with the two Ben's next to him.

"Hey, get in here!" Ben G called to me, "I need some tips from you, young lady!" I sat down opposite Lou, just as James slunk in next to her.

"Room for one more?"

I knew she was blushing as she scooted over; luckily it was dark enough you couldn't see. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Jackson on the phone; it looked like he kept trying the same number, but no answer. He gave up and squeezed in next to me.

"So" he smiled and joined in my conversation with Ben. "Ben and I need to talk to you about that opening song - what's the secret?"

Another bottle of prosecco down, and we were having a great night, Lou and James were in hysterics about something, the three monkeys were discussing who would win a fight between God and a bear, and Jackson and I were discussing everything from our mutual love of Hendrix to our first pet dogs.

"OK, OK, what's your favourite drink?" he asked me.

"Jack and coke" we both said at the same time. I raised my eyebrows at him. He grinned back and gently reached over and brushed my arm with the back of his fingers when out of nowhere we heard a high pitched squeal.

"Baby, you told me the wrong bar! It's 15th Ave, not Street! Silly!" A pretty bleached, blond, skinny, tattooed, angel - like creature perched on Jackson's knee and immediately stuck her tongue down his throat. A second later a second blond squeezed in next to James and gave him a smacker on the cheek.

I saw James pull back for a second, and then he politely began a conversation with her.

The rest of the Monkey's didn't seem to react. Oh god, I looked at Lou and hoped she could read my mind. 1st, WTF? 2nd, LETS GET OUT OF HERE!

"Baby, come to the bar with me, let's do shots". She shot an evil look at me and grabbed Jackson's arm.

He turned to me "I'll be back in 5 - don't go anywhere."

"Sure" I smiled my best: 'I'm having a great night! smile'.

As soon as he left I called to Lou,

"Hey, I'm pretty tired, you wanna call it a night? Next gig's a few hours away. We don't have the luxury of a personal driver" I winked at the Bens, and smiled; I hoped it didn't show I was embarrassed about flirting with Jackson all night.

"Yeah" Lou yawned, "It's a long drive".

James and the other blond moved out the way, Lou looked relieved as we headed to the lifts as quickly as possible.

"Come on!" she was practising her drumming skills on the call button in reception. The lift doors opened and we jumped in.

We didn't say a word to each other until we got to the room.

I went straight out to the balcony and lit a cigarette. Lou came out and curled up in the outdoor sofa. (I still couldn't get over how nice this hotel was).

"OK" I started. "I'm a bit gutted. He's hot, we get on, blah, blah, blah. But it's not like he lied or anything, he just didn't _say_anything. I mean, nothing happened between us". I was busy trying to reassure myself when I remembered the other blond that had ruined our night.

"Was that James' girlfriend then? They didn't suit each other if it was. "

"I have no idea. And I don't care. I didn't speak to her, in fact neither of them introduced themselves - did you notice?" Lou seemed pretty defiant now. "How rude, they're obviously idiots."

I stubbed out my cigarette and exhaled. "Well, I'm just glad that happened before too late! We're still at the beginning of this tour!"

""From now on, just music, OK?"

We fist-bumped "OK".

And for the next couple of weeks that is exactly what we focused on.

**What do you think? I promise that the action (both on and off the stage) will pick up VERY soon! Please review, I will respond to everyone that does!**


	5. Chapter 5

**As usual, any resemblance to any real persons is coincidental!**

**Coming up: Jerad and Lou take their relationship to a new level, before she discovers the true identity of the mysterious James…..**

CHAPTER FIVE  
>LOU'S POV<p>

The next few weeks were a whirlwind of rehearsals and gigs. We moved from city to city, playing to increasing numbers each time as word seemed to spread about us. Jane and I made a pact not to let what had happened get to us, which was harder than we both expected.

The girls who had failed to introduce themselves at the bar were Heather and her bff JoJo, and they were now going to be with us on the rest of the tour. It was apparent from the off that the two blonds didn't care much for us. Heather was obviously annoyed with the fact that 'her boyfriend' Jackson got on really well with Jane, and while I didn't think that JoJo and James were actually together it was clear JoJo had been after James for a while and was hoping for something more. I decided not to let it bother me - yes, he was amazingly cute, and funny, and well read - sigh - and we had loads in common, but in the short time James had been on the road with us he hadn't made a move on me, and I didn't want to be around whilst JoJo draped herself over him and pretended to understand his jokes. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be, and besides, I had to focus all my energy on the band.

A little while into the tour we were hanging out in the Monkey's hotel room. The gig that night had gone amazingly well, and Sam had told us that the record company were impressed with the fact we were starting to get attention ourselves. Heather was laying across Jackson and Ben G on an old sofa, and JoJo was painfully trying to play Jackson's acoustic guitar. Jane and I were across the other side of the room, with some of the band's guests. Jane was strumming her favourite old acoustic, and I was tapping along on the plastic wine cooler. Heather was NOT happy with the attention we were getting, but we took it all in our stride.

As we were mucking around, Jerad came over and sat down next to me. Things had cooled between us in the recent weeks, but we were still a little frosty to each other. I couldn't quite place why, but at least now we were on civil terms. He passed me a bottle of beer which I took a big swig from. "Thanks" I said, raising the bottle in a mini 'cheers!'.

One of Jackson's friends had been listening to us play and seemed really taken with Jane. "That's a pretty cool guitar you've got there" he said, straining to be heard over the noise of the room. Ben J had put a random CD on which we had been improvising to.

Jane smiled at him, "Thanks! It's the one I've had for the longest"

"Is it, like, a Fender?"

I heard someone snicker. Jackson had managed to extricate himself from under Heather and had joined our little circle. "Man, you know it's not a Fender!"

His friend clinked his beer bottle against Jackson's. "I know dude, but does she know?"

Jane and I shared a look. Here we go again, we both thought. There's always some idiot at a party who wants to show us up.

"It's an Aria AW75-QN" said Jane, strumming for added effect.

"Oh yeah?" said Jackson's friend. To my surprise, Jerad piped up "Dude, I wouldn't. These girls know their stuff". I was shocked. Was Jerad actually being nice? He nodded at me, even though it was Jane's guitar which was under discussion.

Jackson's mate snorted, "The only reason these babes are on tour with you guys is cos they look hot and you know it!"

Jane and I laughed, but Jerad shifted uncomfortably. Jackson smiled his trademark crooked smile "Yes, they're OK!" he said carefully picking his words, "But they wouldn't support us if they didn't know their music"

"Ha!" said his mate. "I bet she only got that guitar cos it looked pretty in the shop!" The drunker this guy got, the more annoying he became, but I could tell Jane was about to tear him down.

"Well I do appreciate the laminate sides and long neck" she said, admiring her guitar, "But I was mainly impressed with the big dreadnought sound it comes out with"

Drunk guy's mouth dropped open. Before he could say anything Jane continued. "It's annoying there's only one strap button, but that's easily fixed. The fretboard's made from fruit wood so it's better for fingerstyle and strumming, and I filed down the bridge to get a wicked chiming tone from the strings. I use it with a Seymour Duncan Woodle pick up if I need to amplify it" and with that she played a killer chord with a big flourish.

Jackson and Jerad fell about laughing as Jane coolly handed her guitar to Jackson and went outside to light a cigarette. Heather had joined the group and was doing that weird thing where she would whisper something to Jackson and then stare at Jane. She draped herself over him but he was too taken with the Aria to really notice. "It's got a 5-amp setting!" he murmured, looking it over.

As I was about to get up, Jerad touched me on my knee to stop me. "I, uh, wanted to ask you something" he said.

"Cool. What's up?" I asked, readjusting the cushion beneath me. It was starting to hurt sitting on the floor.

"Um, you seem to be really into your style, and I was wondering, uh, as we've got the day off tomorrow..." he trailed off. I raised my eyebrows. "Jerad, are you OK?" I asked.

"He wants you to help him pick out a new suit" said Jackson, grinning.

I turned to Jerad, "You want to go shopping?"

"Yeah, well, you really like your vintage stuff so I thought you might know some cool places to go. No big deal, just thought you might like to check out some places"

"I don't see why not" I said, "But don't you guys all dress alike anyway?"

"J-Rad wants to strike out on his own" said Jackson, strumming on Jane's guitar. Jane very rarely let anyone else touch her guitars, she must have really trusted him to hand it over just like that.

"And I was thinking, maybe we could also work on some set pieces, like, together?" continued Jerad. I was warming to him being a bit awkward.

"Yeah, what like?"

"I think you two could develop some more stuff when you're both on guitars, like if you had an extra pair of hands you could do something extra special"

I pondered his suggestion. Despite sometimes acting like a bit of a jerk Jerad was a pretty good musician. "Why don't you drop in earlier on the next rehearsal day, we could go through some stuff then?" I said, pushing myself up from the floor.

Jerad looked up at me "I'd like that" he said, and gave me a shy smile. I smiled back. Wait a minute, did I think Jerad was cute?

I felt my cheeks flush and went to look for Jane, when a hand grabbed me as I walked past the desk in the hotel room. It was James, sitting at a Mac book. I hadn't noticed he was at the party. "Where are you off too, Miss?"

He was still holding my arm as I turned to him. "Ah, nowhere" I replied, "Just, y'know, about!" God I was a dork sometimes. "What are you up to Jimmy?" He smiled at the nickname I insisted calling him. I looked at the screen, which was filled with screen shots from iMovie. Since he'd been on tour with us James had been photographing and filming the Monkeys, and sometimes Jane and I whilst we played as well.

"Just working on my opus, but I wanted to show you something", he pulled me toward the screen. As I leant over to get a better look, he snaked his arm around me waist and pulled me onto his lap. I felt my cheeks go bright red at this new intimacy. Yeah, sometimes he got a bit touchy feely but it was harmless.

"Look at this" he said, pointing at the screen. I tried to focus and pretend that this was the most normal thing to be happening, sitting on a hot guy's lap.

The video started to play and I clamped my hand over my mouth to stifle my giggle. The video was of a young, clean cut Jackson presenting a piece for the Disney channel. He was so young and earnest and - not cool! "Hi, I'M JACKSON!" he beamed.

I looked at James, "That's not real! That's hilarious!" Looking closer at the screen this Jackson seemed more familiar to me…..

James looked at me, his hand resting on my hip. "Don't tell him I showed you this, he'll kill me!"

His touch shook me from my daydream. I tried to act casual and put my arm on the back of the chair behind his head, "Why are you on the tour anyway Jimmy? Haven't you got a job to do or something?"

James laughed and raked a hand through his hair. "Well, Jackson and I are going to be working together, so he invited me on the tour so we could get to know each other better". He rested his hand on my knee, his fingers gently stroking the skin just under the hem of my skirt. Man, I'd love to get to know _him_a little better.

I raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Get to know each other better?"

"Yeah, we're going to play brothers so we're having a bit of a bonding experience"

"So, you're like an actor, or something?" As he nodded, I felt the realisation hit me about what an idiot I was. Of course he was an actor. I knew exactly who he was. I had to stop myself hitting myself in the head. Why did I not notice before? I had been sitting on none other than James-freakin'-Franco's lap.

I shifted off the seat. "Was it something I said?" he joked.

"Ah, no, I just, ah have to go" Get out Lou, get out before you make an even bigger dick of yourself! All I could think to do was ruffle his hair. He looked so gorgeous but I had to hold back. As he gazed up at me and held onto my hand I saw JoJo hovering nearby. I gave a little smile and pulled my hand back, suddenly my throat was really dry. I looked around and couldn't see Jane anywhere. And come to think of it, I couldn't see Jackson either. Where had they gotten to?

**I know it's taken a while but I promise the action is about to heat up! Where are Jackson and Jane? And what are they getting up to away from the prying eyes of the party? Everyone who reviews I promise will get a sneak preview of the next chapter! x**


	6. Chapter 6

**As mentioned in previous chapters, anything resembling persons living or dead is coincidental!**

CHAPTER SIX  
>JANE'S POV<p>

I stood with my elbows lent on the ornate balcony, looking out at the forest below us. The air had finally cooled and I let the cool breeze play with my hair.

This really was the best hotel we had stayed in so far. We were half way through our Missouri tour, The Switchblade Kittens (and maybe a little help from the 100 Monkeys) had sold out every date so far. In fact, the Monkey's management team were so happy, they were shouting us a couple of nights (and a day off in between) staying at an incredibly expensive hotel, sat on the edge of 'Mark Twain National Forest'. Seriously, this place was beautiful - from the outside it looked like Mr Darcy's country home, looking out over the most beautiful fairytale-esque forest. We had hot tubs in every room, walk-in wardrobes, champagne...the works! Plus, this place was high security, so no screaming fans for a change. Everyone had played so well tonight, we had tomorrow off, and everyone was letting their hair down, the atmosphere was buzzing, (well it could have been better minus a couple of people.)

I stubbed out my cigarette and sighed. The whole Jackson's girlfriend hanging-around-with-us thing was really beginning to bug me. I knew I was being ridiculous, and it's not like anything happened between us, and I would just have to grin and bear it. BUT I couldn't stop thinking about him. Apart from the fact he was heart-breakingly gorgeous, an amazing musician, and into the same bands as me - I just loved being around him.

I jumped when I heard a cough behind me.

"Company?" Jackson smiled at me shyly, his big green eyes looking up at me through the dark hair falling round his face.

"Only if you have another beer for me" I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Sure thing" he passed me a beer, hopped up on the balcony and reached out his hand for me to join him. I took his hand and jumped up beside him. We sat on the ledge, staring out at the forest, in silence, as he lit us a couple of cigarettes. Out of the two bands, we were the only smokers - I had gotten used to these brief moments we got alone together. I was definitely not giving up smoking anytime soon.

"So, you OK? Looking forward to the day off tomorrow? Plans?"

"Yes, looking forward to it, no, no plans yet. I was gonna ask Lou if she wanted to go check out this place", I gestured at our cinematic surroundings.

"Uh, you may have to take a rain check on that one - looks like Jerad beat ya to it"

"What?" I nearly dropped my beer.

"Well, I'm pretty sure they just arranged to head in to town tomorrow, they're going shopping I guess"

"Jerad shops? I'll never understand that guy - and I definitely did not see THAT coming! " I laughed and looked over my shoulder to see where Lou was.

"Uh oh" I nudged Jackson in the ribs. "Check it out"

We both looked over our shoulders back at the party, the glass doors were shut, but you could still hear the dull sound of a bass, shouting and laughter. Lou was sat on James lap, they were laughing at something on his laptop - _he'd _been pretty quiet this evening, I wondered when he had got here? I could see James' hand round her waist, they looked pretty cosy. I reminded myself to quiz her about that one later.

"Looks like shes got herself into a little love -triangle there" I could feel myself getting pretty tipsy now. Jackson gently placed his hand over mine.

"She's not the only one" he said, as he turned towards me and held my gaze. I suddenly realised we were alone outside in the dark, no one could see us, and now our faces were just inches from each other.

Some one inside smashed a glass; the sound shook us out of it.

I had no idea what to say to him now, the atmosphere had changed. We sat in silence again, a gust of cold wind took me by surprise and I shivered.

"You have goose bumps" Jackson stroked my arm, (probably making my goose bumps a lot worse). I closed my eyes and let myself relax as he carried on stroking my arm. My head was heavy from drinking for the last few hours, and suddenly I was feeling VERY comfortable. I felt myself pulled to wards him, like a magnet. His fingers brushed up and down my arm, circling my elbow and drawing small circles on the sensitive skin of my inner arm. His hand then moved up into my hair, brushing a few stray strands behind my ear, before he traced a finger along my jaw to cup my chin, lifting my face towards his. My eyes flickered open as he pulled me closer. Just as our lips touched the glass doors flew open, slamming loudly in the still night. Heather stood there fuming, she looked ready to us both apart. Oh, shit. This was going to get ugly.

"What the fuck?" she screamed at us.

I sat there frozen, staring right back at her. "Um, look, Heather, " Jackson started.

"Don't bother", she spat. "I saw this one coming". She then launched into a tirade of insults at me. I couldn't speak.

I noticed the others slowly getting up to see what was going on. The last thing we needed now was a crowd, but I was relieved when I caught Lou's eye . I could tell she had already figured out what was going on, as always, she came to my defence.

"Look" she stepped in between me and Heather. "We've all been drinking, lets just chill!" She turned towards me and raised her eyebrows. "Jane, er, I need to speak to you about to tomorrow, set lists and stuff"

"Sure" I managed, Lou grabbed my arm and left the party as quickly as possible. I let my hair fall down around my face and kept my eyes down as we left the party. Oh. My. God.

An hour later Lou and I were sat, once again, drinking and smoking on our own balcony, dissecting another eventful evening with band.

"So" Lou started, putting her feet up on the table, "You kissed - that was going to happen at some point anyway" she pointed her beer at me. "And it's obvious him and that cheap blond weren't made for each other..."

"Oh god!" I lit yet another cigarette (just as well I wasn't singing tomorrow).

"We were drunk! What if he doesn't remember anything? What if he regrets it, and now everything will be so awkward between us!"

"I'm pretty sure he likes you dude, but be careful - that girl has daggers for you. Maybe just stay out of her way for a day or two".

"Pinky-swear" we linked our little fingers. "So what happened between you and James? I totally saw you cuddled up on his lap!"

"I have no idea. Oh my god, I totally forgot to tell you...!"

Lou recounted her evening finding out we had been on tour with yet another movie star, non other than (the even more famous than Jackson) James Franco, watching videos of a very young Jackson presenting for the Disney channel, (have to say I was jealous of this one), and the embarrassment she felt when she'd realised whose lap she'd been sitting on.

Lou had her own dilemmas to deal with: James had asked her to hang out with him tomorrow, but she'd already agreed to hang with Jerad. On one hand Jerad had really started to make an effort, and was actually a pretty nice guy (cute too); on the other hand...was James Franco.

"Oh, maybe I should cancel them both...? Yep, I know - it's easier to do that, I'll catch them at breakfast tomorrow, and say that I'm keeping you company, you know, after everything that happened tonight" she winked at me.

"Fine" I said. "Thank you, I'll probably need the distraction", I yawned. Just as I got up my phone beeped. A text from Jackson: 

Hey, sorry. We need to talk. Spend the day with me tomorrow?

"Er, Lou. Thanks for the offer and everything, but I won't be needing company tomorrow."

I raised my eyebrow at her, and couldn't hide my grin. "Looks like you're going to have to choose which of your new admirers to spend the day with tomorrow!"

**Looks like Jackson is stepping up his game, but who is Lou going to choose to spend her day with? **

**Thank you to everyone who reads and reviews – as promised, if you review I will send you a sneaky peek at the next chapter!**

**RECS: am loving "Everything Is Bigger In Texas" by VicesVsVirtues. If you love JR fanfic you should def check this one out.**


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter is all about Lou's day off, so it's quite James Franco/Jerad heavy! But I promise all you JR fans will get your fix in the next chapter when Jane gets to tell you what she got up to!**

**As usual, any resemblance to persons living or dead is coincidental. **

CHAPTER 7

LOU'S POV

I groaned as I rolled over to turn off the alarm on my phone. It felt like I had only just shut my eyes after an extremely eventful night. My head was pounding from all the alcohol I'd consumed, and was spinning from everything that had happened.

I heard Jane groan from across the room. We had stayed up until the early hours of the morning drinking and mucking around on our guitars, and well, talking about boys. Two to be precise. Well, actually, more like three.

"Urrrrgggh, what time is it?" she said, pulling her sheets tighter around her.

I winced at the phone display "It's 9. You wanted me to wake you early, remember?" I did a barrel roll off the bed onto the floor. I stood for a second, wondering if I was going to be sick as the room was still spinning.

I walked out onto the balcony, knowing no one would see me in my shorts, vest and socks.

"Ready for your hot date today, or should that be dates?" Jane called from the room, looking for her phone in the chaos.

I sank to the floor of the balcony, and lay on the floor hoping the breeze would cool me down. I put my arm over my eyes and took a deep breath. Jane walked out on to the balcony and lay at the other end, her feet facing towards me. She gave me a nudge.

"So, which one is it going to be?"

I stared at the sky. "Well, I said yes to Jerad first, so out of politeness I'm going to go shopping with him. And, plus after what happened with blondie last night JoJo will probably stab me with one of my drumsticks if I ever so much as look at James again."

Jane gave a little chuckle. "So, Miss Kissy Face, where are you and JACKSON going today?" I said to her. Ever since I'd seen the video James had shown me, I couldn't stop over-emphasizing Jackson's name.

She kicked me again. "I don't know" she said. "I know we're meeting in the lobby at 10.30 but I can't find my phone to see if he's given any more details" her voice started to trail off, dreamily.

"Think he might dump Heather for you?"

She sighed. "I dunno. I don't want to make an already awkward tour more difficult. But last night was..."

"Was?"

"Cool!" I could hear the smile in her voice.

We were interrupted from our daydreaming by a shadow looming over us. "You ladies should really learn how to lock your door!"

I shielded my eyes from the sun, Jackson was leaning out onto the balcony, grinning at us. A hand appeared on his shoulder and James' face appeared, "Yeah, anyone could have walked in and seen you like this"

Dammit. I hit my head back on to the balcony. Jane got up and walked back into the room past Jackson, mumbling something about being early and needing a shower. "Hey" said Jackson, throwing his arms up in the air, "I did text you saying I was going to drop by!" He followed her in as James stepped out on to the balcony. He looked down at me, "How's the view down there?"

"It keeps on moving, could you ring reception and tell them to stop moving the walls please?'

He gave me a hand to lift me up. I felt like death and probably looked a state. James sat down on one of the chairs. "Nice outfit" he smirked, and I blushed.

"Hey, Lou?" Jackson called from the room, "Jerad's waiting for you downstairs, he's really looking forward to today!"

"Aww, thanks JACKSON!" I said, trying not to look at James. I just needed a few more minutes of fresh air before I could face going back in, sod the fact that I was barely dressed in front of the hottest guy in the world.

James tilted his head, "You're going out with Jerad today?"

I turned, "Yeah, uh, well he kinda asked me for help with something, I couldn't say no..."

"An offer you couldn't refuse?" He got up, and placed his hands on my arms. "Are you sure I can't change your mind?"

"Sorry, I just don't want to be rude, he did ask first"

He gave my arms a squeeze, "Well, that sucks. Maybe some other time?" I shrugged, as he gently stroked his thumb on the inside of my arm. He flashed me another smile, and joined Jackson in the room.

Jane had already showered and changed, and was still looking for her phone. Jackson was entertaining himself by balancing various objects from the room on his head. I sighed and marched over to grab a decorative vase he was about to perch on top of his hair.

"You are such a child!" I muttered, placing the vase in a safe place. I turned around to find him grinning, sitting on my bed holding up one of my bras. "Check out my new slingshot!" he said, before placing a balled up sock into one of the cups and firing it in my direction.

I kicked it away and leaped at him to try and retrieve my underwear, but before I could make a grab he made a sideways dive.

"Ooooh, nice harmonica!" he said, reaching for my chrome Lee Oskar which was tangled up in the sheets.

"Don't you DARE!" I screamed, trying to wrestle it out of his hands, "Jane! Are you ready to to take this idiot out?" I was so not in the mood for this!

Jane gave herself a quick once over in the mirror, oblivious to the wrangle Jackson and I were having. I was amazed she could look so good in such a short space of time. "Dude, could you keep an eye out for my phone?" she said, turning to me.

Jackson finally let go of the harmonica, and straightened himself up to look at Jane. "Wow" he said, under his breath.

"Are you ready?" she asked, her hand resting on the door handle.

Jackson tipped an imaginary hat to her and strolled over, "Certainly am, darlin'!" he said, making a quick grab for my drumsticks and banging a beat out on the sideboard. Jane laughed but motioned for him to get a move on.

"No probs, I'll keep an eye out for it" I replied, whacking Jackson one last time and snatching my beloved sticks from his grubby little hands, before physically pushing him out of the room.

James followed Jackson and Jane out, giving me a salute, "See you later Miss Better Offer!" he said, and closed the door.

Half an hour later I was washed and ready. I was wearing my favourite sun dress (.com/New+Arrivals/c13/p209/Fifties+Frock/product_) and had my hair in loose curls. I had said to Jerad we'd meet at around 10 so I wasn't too bothered about having him wait for me. As I was grabbing my bag I spotted Jane's phone on the bed. Not wanting to keep Jerad waiting much longer I chucked it into my bag next to my own in case I saw her before I left.

As I walked into reception I walked past Johnson coming out of the breakfast room. He gave a low whistle, "Well, aren't we having a Doris Day!"

I gave him a quick twirl. "Make sure you pick something nice out for J' he said, "He needs the help!" Oh great, did everyone know I was spending the day with Jerad?

He saw me across reception and stood up. He was wearing a cool vintage t-shirt and baggy jeans, and styled his little mo hawk. He wiped his hands on his jeans, "Hi, um, you look great!"

"Thanks Jerad. You look good too!" We both laughed. "Ready?"

"Sure am!" he said, offering me his arm. I hesitated, but as he was being so nice I took it and let him lead me outside. "So, where should we go?"

"Well, there's a really cool place called Binge And Purge in St Louis we could head to" I said, putting on my shades. "They look as though they do some cool stuff...wow!"

I stopped dead in my tracks at a Blue Chevrolet Corvette parked outside () and gawped as Jerad unlocked the driver's side. "This is yours?"

He beamed, "Well, I hired it actually. I thought if we were going to go vintage shopping we'd go in style!"

I couldn't help but smile as I got into the passenger's seat.

The drive into St Louis with Jerad was more relaxed than I thought it would be, and I was starting to forget about James this morning. Pretty soon we were parked and going into Binge & Purge.

I was in shopping heaven. The shop was huge, with thousands of clothes and vintage accessories. Jerad looked slightly apprehensive, but I dove straight in. I walked over to a glass cabinet and saw a gorgeous 1950's diamond hair clip, but sighed at the price tag. Even though the tour had been going well, we weren't quite in the big leagues yet.

Jerad tapped me on the shoulder, "Um, could you help me pick something out?"

"Sorry J, I got carried away!"

I walked to the mens' section and ran my hands over the racks. After a few seconds I saw it, a grey tweed pinstripe suit. "This" I said, picking it up and thrusting it into Jerad's hands, "You should try this on".

"Are you sure?" he held it up and raised his eyebrows.

"Totally. Oh, and this, this and this" I said, pulling a few more suits from the racks.

Jerad took the clothes to the changing room, and I did another circuit of the shop. I spotted a blue bandana which would be perfect for Ben G and paid at the till before parking myself on a small stool outside the changing room.

The first few suits weren't quite on the mark, and I would shake my head and give him the thumbs down when he came out to model them for me.

There was a cool rockabilly track playing in the shop and I laughed, "It's like we're in a shopping montage in a movie!" I called to Jerad. He pulled the curtain slightly aside and stuck his head out, grinning. "You think? Maybe we should be listening to 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun'?" I laughed as he ducked back behind the curtain. Now seemed as a good a time as any to bring up what was on my mind.

"Jerad?" I tentatively called, "Can I ask you a question?" There was a gap in the curtain and I could just see him changing into the suit. He was a more muscular than I had expected under all those baggy clothes.

"Sure," he replied, "Shoot"

I paused, and rested my elbows on my knees. "I just wanted to know, um, well..." deep breath, "Why were you so mean to me in the beginning?" I just blurted it out. "Of the tour I mean. And with the car..."

Jerad pulled back the curtain and stepped out in the grey suit. He looked gorgeous, and I had to bite my lip as I blushed.

He looked a bit sheepish as he stepped towards me. "I was hoping you wouldn't have remembered"

"How could I forget? You were pretty mean to me, and I wasn't even the one who smashed your car!" I was trying to force a laugh, but it got caught in my throat as Jerad got a lot closer and knelt next to me.

He gave a shy smile, "I'm kind of a jerk around girls I like" he said, looking up at me.

"What? What do you mean?"

He stared at me. "Lou, this is really hard, I was hoping to get you alone later but now you've brought it up..."

I shook my head, "Sorry Jerad, I don't understand. I thought you hated me because we took your mate's place on the tour?"

He gently took my hand, "At first I did, but then I saw you play that first night and I thought you were amazing..." I wanted to pull back - I was NOT expecting this!

"But why were you so mean...?"

His hand tightened around mine as he sat on the stool next to mine. "I thought you were so gorgeous that first night, but then Jackson mentioned he thought your friend was hot and.."

"Huh? Jackson likes Jane?" Well, that figures, I thought.

"Uh, yeah. But when he said he liked Jane I thought I should hold myself back in case it made things awkward"

"Huh. More awkward like they already are? Besides the fact that Jackson already has a girlfriend who wants to bury Jane in a shallow grave in the woods somewhere, her friend who keeps on giving me daggers, and the fact that you guys obviously didn't want us around in the first place AND your 'mate' James who keeps on filming us all the time and..." I stopped myself.

Jerad looked down. "Yeah, more awkward than that". He looked back up at me, slowly turning my hand over in his. "But the thing with Jackson and Heather isn't that straight forward, they're not even.." he was interrupted by the sales assistant coming over. She was a young girl wearing a halter neck shirt with rolled up jeans, and a Bettie Page type fringe.

"Is everything OK?" she asked.

Jerad looked up, "We're fine, thank you" She smiled and walked back to the counter.

I sighed. "That still doesn't explain why you were so horrible to me?"

"I didn't want anyone else to cotton on to the fact that I like you. A lot"

I bit on my lip again. I honestly didn't know what to say. He leaned towards me.

I stood up, letting go of his hand. "Jerad, I'm really sorry but..." but I didn't know what else to say. Until a few minutes ago I thought he hated my guts.

He looked disappointed. "Look, Lou, I'm sorry I said anything, I just wanted you to know how I feel".

I walked away, but before I opened the door I turned back to see him still on the stool. "You should definitely get that suit" I said, "It really suits you".

He seemed the brighten a bit as he twisted one of his rings around his finger. "Thanks," he replied, "Wait, Lou" I didn't hear what else he said, as I walked out into the sunshine.

A while later I was regretting walking out of the shop. I hadn't factored in how I was going to get back to the hotel, but was enjoying exploring St Louis. As I wandered around I recalled that the Pulitzer Museum was downtown, which seemed like a good place to head. As I followed the signs I saw that there was a Dreamscape exhibition on. Seeing that my whole life seemed like a dream since we landed in the states, what with touring and hanging out with movie stars, it was apt.

The Pulitzer building was a modern, grey concrete building. I went in and paid the entrance fee for the Dreamscapes exhibition. Pretty soon I was immersed in the sculptures and paintings in the gallery. I was blown over by the red nylon staircase in the Cube gallery, but was keen to find the Magritte most of all. After a few minutes I found it in one of the rooms, and sat down on a low bench opposite.

I stared at the huge painting, remembering when I first saw it in London, funnily enough the day after the first Swicthblade Kittens gig. We had performed as a favour to a friend at a party for a movie studio, after which we had decided to make a go of the band properly. It had been a fun and interesting night, when something flashed into my mind that I hadn't thought of before. For some reason an image of Jackson with blond hair floated in my mind.

I was pulled out of my daydream by a familiar voice, "Excuse me, Miss? You seemed to have got lost in that painting?" I nearly fainted from shock as James sat down next to me.

"Well, fancy seeing you here! I thought you and Jerad were going shopping?"

I reached down to scratch a non existent itch on my ankle, feeling flustered by his presence. Why couldn't I keep it together around him? "Err, we are, I mean err, but I decided I wanted to do this" gesturing to the paintings, as if it wasn't already obvious why I would be in an art gallery.

"So, you like Magritte, huh?"

"Yeah, it's pretty cool" I kicked myself for not saying something deep and profound about the painting. He laughed, and leaned back behind me, his arm just touching my waist.

"What are you doing after? I thought you were going to spend all day with Jerad?" he said, giving me a nudge.

I tried not to look at him, in case he could see I was getting redder and redder. "We decided to go our separate ways"

"Cool" he said, grabbing my hand, "That means you can come with me"

I spent the rest of the afternoon with James walking around the gallery, and then walking round the parks taking pictures. He had his cool digital camera, and I was glad I had my Diana Lomo polaroid camera, which he seemed pretty impressed by. We were getting on really well, and I had managed to get over my giggly-school girl-phase.

It was starting to get dark, when we came across a bar on the river. "Drink?" he said, and I nodded.

The bar was cool and shady, a welcome retreat from the heat outside. As James went to the bar, I went to find a table when I got the second shock of my life, walking straight into Jerad.

"Lou!" he said, grabbing my arms, "You're OK!"

"Chill, Jerad, I'm cool. Look, I'm sorry about earlier."

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have done that to you. I've been looking for you all afternoon, I was worried about how you were going to get back."

I winced as I recalled the incident in the shop. "I'm OK, I just needed to be outside for a bit. What are you doing here anyway?"

"Well, I was driving around, checking out more vintage shops in case you'd decided to go into any of them. I don't have your mobile so I couldn't call, but I needed to use the restroom so stopped here. And I'm glad I did" he pulled me into a hug, "I'm really sorry Lou, I shouldn't have said what I did"

I gave him a quick squeeze. "J, it's OK, it was a bit much though!"

Before he could reply, James had walked over with our drinks, "Dude, how are you doing? What a coincidence! How was the shopping?" He placed our drinks down and did that weird high-five handshake thing Americans do.

Jerad grasped his hand, "Cool, dude, it was cool" He looked at both of us, "So, are you two like, here together?" Jerad looked at me with a slightly worried look in his eyes.

"No, no" I said, a little too quickly, "We just bumped into each other and decided to get a quick drink"

James slapped Jerad on the back, "Have a drink with us, dude? Must be tiring shopping all day?"

"Sure, if you don't mind?" he replied, looking at me. I shook my head to say no, I don't mind, although I was looking forward to spending more time with James on our own.

He slid into the booth and I sat opposite as James headed back to the bar. "What about the Corvette? You can't drink and drive!" I said.

"Oh no worry" he said, placing his shopping Binge and Purge bag in the alcove above us, "Graupner said he was catching the bus into town to catch a movie so I'll call him later and he can drive us back"

A few hours later I was feeling slightly worse for wear. James insisted on doing shots, and the room was starting to spin again. I checked my phone to see if Jane had tried to call, but there were no missed calls, until I realised I had her phone. She had a number of missed calls but I couldn't see the id as my eyesight was starting to blur.

James had disappeared somewhere, and I sat opposite Jerad.

"Sooooo, J-Rad" I said, feeling the full effects of the drinks, "Are we mates now?"

He grinned and leaned over the table, "Yeah, if you want. Come here, I've got something to tell you" he wiggled his index finger to beckon me closer.

I leaned across and could feel myself going cross eyed, "Whuh?". He curled a hand around the back of my head and gently brushed his lips at the corner of my mouth. I hiccuped and sat down, clamping my hand to my mouth. Way to go, Lou. He laughed and sat down, "Guess I'll have to try to tell you again later!"

"Sorry" I said, still hiccuping but laughing at the same time. "Was it about Jackson and Jane?" I could tell my speech was slurring. God, I'm a delight sometimes!

Jerad laughed again as the music started up. "I lay my heart out and you want to know about Jackson and Jane?"

I folded my hands on the table, trying to steady myself. "You were saying earlier he said he liked her, and that he and Heather weren't erm, weren't quite, well I don't know what you said, but you said it!"

He laughed again, reaching for my hands. As he was about to tell me, James came back with more drinks.

"No, no, no!" I shouted, clambering out of the booth. "No more Jimmy! You're trying to kill me!"

James gave a sad pout, "C'mon, you said you'd make it up to me for blowing me out today!"

I shook my head and felt myself swaying. The music in the bar got louder. Jerad was on his phone "Graupner, get here NOW! It's open-mic night!". I smiled dumbly as a guy in a checked shirt clambered on to the stage and started to belt out the Owl City song. He was pretty good.

I turned back to James, who was looking at me in that way that made my stomach tighten. He placed his hands on my waist, but I didn't want Jerad to see. I could feel a phone vibrating in my bag, and placed a hand onto James' chest to push him away.

"I need to get this" I said, stumbling past him to go outside.

I steadied myself against the wall of the bar and pulled the rumbling phone from my bag. It was Jane's, and now I could just make out who had been calling her all day. I wiped my eyes and looked again. Oh, no. it couldn't be! Shit! I closed my eyes and thought back to that first gig we did in London. Jackson's crooked grin again flashed into my mind, but the guy who I was thinking of wasn't called Jackson. What was it, Marvin? Moore? Monty?

I opened my eyes to find James standing over me, looking concerned. "Are you OK?" he said, raising one arm above my head to lean over me, the other tilting my chin.

"Fine. Phone" I said, gazing up at him. I could still hear the guy singing in the bar in the background. It was still warm out and I felt decidedly woozy.

"Good, now I can do this" he whispered, lowering his face to mine and gently pressing his lips to mine. My head started to swim again, from the drink or James, I couldn't say.

He lifted his head and stroked my face. "That was nice, Jimmy" I said, feeling my eyelids lower. This had to be a dream, surely?

He cupped the back of my head, and moved in, "Call me Teddy" he said, kissing me again.

I reciprocated, enjoying the taste of him when I could hear my name being called. I pulled back in confusion.

"And in five minutes, Miss Louise all the way from England will be signing for us tonight, but first, here's Adam from right here in St Louis with an old favourite from Rascal Flatts!" A cheer came from inside the bar.

I looked confused back up at James, "Why are they calling my name?" He shrugged, and moved himself against me into the wall. He pinned my arms down to my sides to stop me pushing him away, and I felt his lips gently brush against my throat. His knee pushed in between my thighs and he released his grip on my hands so I could reach my arms around him. I ran my hands over his broad shoulders as his lips traced a line from my throat, to behind my ears, and back to my mouth. He gently pulled on my lower lip, when I heard my name being called again. I shook my head to try and concentrate, but he was making it hard. He lowered his head down again, eyes half closed and a dreamy grin on his face, but I side stepped him, pulling myself from his embrace. In my drunken confusion I stumbled back into the bar and found Ben G and Johnson with Jerad at our booth, together with Heather and JoJo.

"Hi guys!" I said, trying to act more sober than I was, "When did you get here?"

Heather looked disgusted at me, and I noticed she was leaning on Jerad. She had JoJo on her other side, who practically flung herself at James who came in behind me. I turned around and gave him a small smile, as if to say, I understand, and slid in next to Ben G.

"Oh, I have something for you!" I said, pulling the bandana from my handbag.

"Aw, thanks Lou! This is awesome!" he said, pulling it on.

"Aw, don't you have anything for me in there?" Johnson pouted.

"Ummmmmm, here!" I said, producing a rainbow eraser I'd bought at the museum.

"Awesome!" he said, leaning over and then waving it in Graupner's face. "Ha ha LOSER! I got stationery! How'd you like them apples? Huh?"

Graupner tried to swat him away as Johnson tried to poke him with the eraser. I'd never seen him so animated; must have been the drink.

I glanced over to see Heather giving me daggers, and JoJo hanging her arms around James' neck. I tried not to let it bother me, letting myself think, we were drunk, it was a mistake. Absentmindedly, I ran my fingers over my lips, where his had just been.

"Hey, hey, Miss England!" shouted Heather over the noise, "Where is that girl you're usually with, and more importantly, where is Jackson?"

I threw my hands up, "I dunno. I've not heard from them" I looked around the bar, "Why were they calling my name again?"

Heather rolled her eyes, and shared a look with JoJo. "I know last night was a mistake, Jackson explained it all to me afterwards. In my room" she said smugly, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, she's a total skank anyway!" shrieked JoJo, still hanging off James, who wasn't exactly trying to fend her off but wasn't responding either, much in the same way someone would try to shake off an enthusiastic puppy.

I knew they were trying to get a rise out of me. I smiled back at Heather, trying to ignore what JoJo had said. "Well, that's nice isn't it. I'm very happy for you"

Heather smiled sarcastically back at me. "I don't know why you Twihards bother hanging around with us, it's not like you're friends with the band is it?"

I looked around, bemusedly. The Bens and Jerad were lost in conversation and had not heard what she said. "Maybe not" I said, "But then we're not here to make friends"

Heather gave a cackle, "Just stay away, OK Miss England? Once the tour's over, you're never going to hear from any of them again, so you might as well quit whilst you're ahead. You and your skanky mate"

Jerad turned around just to hear her last statement. "Heather, if anyone's a skank, it's you!"

My mouth dropped open, as did Heather's and JoJo's. She immediately went on the defensive, "I was just telling her to back off a little, I thought Lou was getting a little too intense that's all? Plus, her dress sense is so weird, she looks like a little old lady!" She put on a little girl's voice, putting her hand on Jerad's shoulder and twirling her hair with the other, "Isn't that what you said, Jerad?"

I glared at him. "No, I said..." but I didn't want to hear it. My name was being called out again on the stage. "For your information, Heather, neither Jane nor I are skanks, as you so politely put it. And if you don't like us, you're only going to have to put up with us for a little while longer before we're out of your bleached blonde hair for good" I said, downing Ben J's shot. He started to applaud whilst Jerad was trying to get past her. "And, by the way, your leggings are more see through than you think. Nice leopard print pants!".

I could hear Graupner's deep throaty laugh behind me as I made my way to the stage. Jerad grabbed me as I stepped up, "Lou, I didn't say anything, I swear! It was before...well, before I knew I did like you...Heather's just a bitch! She's not even Jackson's girlfriend, she just thinks she is". I stood on the step, and pecked him on his cheek. "I know" I said, before bounding onto the stage.

The MC passed me a mic, "Here's Miss Louise all the way from Eng-er-laaand!" he shouted, as the crowd cheered. I had no idea who had put my name into the hat, until I saw JoJo smirking at me. Sod her, I thought.

"This is for all the skanks!" I shouted, as the music started up. Instead of the pumping punk track I was hoping for, the karaoke track turned out to be 'Firework' by Katy Perry. Dammit!. I could see Heather and JoJo, cracking up, which only made me determined to show them I wasn't going to go down without a fight.

I belted out the song as best I could, stomping up and down the stage, jumping up and down and getting the crowd going. I could see James and Jerad both cheering me on as I tried for the really high notes.

I was really getting into the swing of it when I saw Jane jumping up and down in the crowd. I waved at her and motioned for her to join me up on stage. Without hesitation she clambered up and joined in, hitting the notes perfectly. We had the crowd eating out the palm of our hands as we finished the song, and hugged each other. She had a dreamy grin on her face, and I could see she was probably as hammered as I was.

"Where were you?" I said, over the cheers of the crowd demanding an encore.

She just laughed back at me and nodded towards Jackson, who was high fiving James and the Bens. As the MC declared we could do another song, I noticed a bandage on her upper arm.

"What the hell is that?" I shouted, as the music built up.

She shrugged and smiled again, "Tell ya later!" she laughed. I suddenly remembered I had to tell her about her phone, but the music drowned me out.

We ended up singing Nutbush City Limits, even throwing in a few choice Tina Turner moves, which the audience loved even more. As the song finished, we nodded at each other and dove into the crowd. We surfed over the audience who held us up with their hands. I still felt as if I was in a dream when I felt a pair of hands pulling me down. Jerad was gently lowering me to the ground. I put my arms around his neck, and tried to ignore the thoughts of James and JoJo. "I'm glad you got the suit" I murmured, as I closed my eyes and felt everything drift away.

**Hmmm, I wonder which one will Lou go for? And what have Jane and Jackson been up to?**

**Your reviews mean so much to me, please let me know what you think, good or bad ;-p**


	8. Chapter 8

**As usual, any resemblance to any persons is coincidental ;-)**

**For all you JR fans, this is what you've been waiting for as Jane describes their day off...!**

CHAPTER 8  
>JANE'S POV<p>

It was 10am the next morning, Lou and I had been driving in silence for the last hour or so, completely jaded from the the events of the past two days. I had my feet up on the dashboard, enjoying the morning sun warm my toes, and watched the sun sparkle on my jet black nail polish. I removed my favourite aviators to get a better look at the map resting on my lap.

"Hey, I think we need to take a right and the next intersection, then stay on that road for the next 60 k - we should be there by lunch".

"Cool" Lou was squinting at the road signs as we drove along the clear highway. "What's the name of the town where we're staying tonight then?"

I checked the itinerary.

"Er, a small town named... 'Jacksonville'" I couldn't contain an annoying little smirk.

"Well that should be easy to remember, and definitely hard to forget" Lou winked at me.

"True dat".

I stared out the window and watched the scenery roll by. Yesterday had been awesome. Although I was still trying to patch it all together, the last few days all seemed to blur into one. Jackson and I had wandered through the park, chatting about anything and everything, but avoiding what happened the night before.

We sat underneath the trees by the lake, and Jackson had thought to bring a picnic blanket. I lay there staring up at the sky as Jackson sat cross-legged skimming stones on the perfectly still water.

He cleared his throat, "Look, I'm sorry I kissed you. I shouldn't have"

I turned to face him and propped myself up on my elbow.

"Heather, she's not my girlfriend. It's, well...complicated. OK...don't judge me before I say this."

I sat up, ready to bolt if I had to. What was she then? She definitely wasn't his _sister_. An ex-girlfriend? A _groupie?_. Oh my god, what if he was paying a … well, I wasn't going to go there! Jackson was looking at me sheepishly through the loose strands of dark hair falling around his face. It was hard to get angry at those green eyes.

"Well, I think she was a fan-type girl"

I knew it, she was a groupie! Gross.

"Her father is the owner of our record label". At that point I got up to leave. He grabbed my hand and pulled me back down.

"Listen, we weren't getting taken seriously as a band, what with me er, doing what I do, acting, and a 50 year old cymbal-playing hippy in the group, no one wanted to sign us. We've been together for years, but the label only signed us a few months ago."

We sat looking out at the water, I could feel the sun frying my skin, but I couldn't move, I just hoped that this was going to get better, or had I made a BIG mistake?

"We were invited to Geoff's house" he continued.

"Geoff?"

"Heather's dad. He was interested in us, he said he liked our sound, and was willing to take a risk with us. We were all pretty excited, but then he started talking mainly to me - and I'm embarrassed to say, about the Twilight thing. He then introduced me to Heather, who was a fan and who had told her father all about me, and kinda made me feel like I had to be, er, nice to her..."

I exhaled loudly. "Well, I guess I didn't think you were _that_kind of guy. I guess...I thought with you, the passion for the music comes first."

"It does! Look, he made it out that if I took Heather out a couple of times, he'd sign the band, and we could go on tour. At that point, I figured we wouldn't see her on the road. And It's not like she's not totally innocent herself," he said raising an eyebrow. "Besides, if I had said no, Geoff wouldn't have signed us and the guys would have been devastated. I couldn't do that to them, I was the main reason we weren't getting signed, labels are scared of employing actors because of clashing contracts and legal rights. It's all about 'who owns who'. So I dated her a few times, I didn't think she'd be on this tour. The day you first met them, I had only a few hours warning they were coming."

I don't know what came over me, but he looked so forlorn, and disappointed in himself. I grabbed him by his shirt lapels and kissed him, properly this time, and it was amazing. With one hand behind my head and the other splayed across my lower back, Jackson gently pushed me to the ground. Shifting his weight to lay on top of me, I ran a hand up his shirt and traced my fingers along his muscular back. I sensed a smile spread across his face as our lips touched. His arm tightened around my waist and he pulled himself closer to me. Still not breaking the kiss, I felt his finger trail along my collar bone to the top button of my shirt, which he promptly flicked undone. I raised up a knee, and I felt Jackson's other hand trail from my waist, up my thigh and then curl behind my knee, which he hooked over his hip. As I arched my back into him, my hand drifted down towards the top of his jeans and I let my fingers gently brush the soft, taut skin between his belt and his shirt. Jackson groaned and shifted a little, his fingers circling the next button down on my shirt, just ducking underneath the fabric.

"This is a nice shirt" he murmured, "But I think it needs to come off..." I stifled a smile, and withdrew my hand from under his shirt.

"Cool down Cowboy!" I smiled, giving him the briefest peck on the lips, and flattening my back so I was angled away from him. He took the hint and retreated, one arm still around me. We lay there in each others arms for a while, before eventually coming up for air.

It was probably best to stop there - we were in public, and of course it crossed my mind that he could be playing me, and he _did_ have a girlfriend, but, sod it: when do you ever get to have your first kiss with a movie star, lying by a lake in the Mark Twain National Forest, whilst you're on tour with your best friend traveling round the deep South of America? Before the heat of the moment got the better of us, we decided to head into town. We thought it would be a great idea to hit a few bars, but then the rest of what happened that day is a blur.

"Here we are" Lou pulled into the hotel's car park. She quickly scanned the rest of the cars around us. "So, lets get going, lets go straight up to the room, I wanna check the views".

She was drumming impatiently on her lap. Lou had decided that today she it was best to avoid both Jerad and James, and just concentrate on tonight's gig.

"Jesus! What have we got ourselves into? Yesterday, I snogged the face off a movie star, got horrendously drunk, got a friggin' half-finished TATTOO, and you also get wasted and managed to kiss a movie star AND a member of the band we're supporting!"

We stared at each other for a moment before bursting into hysterics.

"AND we stage dived to Katy Perry!"

"We did look pretty badass though" Lou pointed out, smoothing down her dress as we got out the car.

"True - hey, let's grab a diet coke quickly? There's a cafe over there." I gestured towards the left of the hotel lobby.

As we walked in I noticed Lou and slowed her step a little. I followed her gaze to a table in the corner, where both Jerad and James were waving at her, with huge smiles on their faces. Uh oh! She looked at me; I couldn't tell if she was going to laugh, cry, or throw up. "Just say hi really quickly" I said through my teeth. "I'll get our drinks and we'll get out of here. "

I went up to the counter, and found myself stood next to Jackson in the queue. He smiled sheepishly at me. "How you feeling?"

"Um, not quite myself actually. Um, pretty crazy day, uh?"

"Yep, um, look sorry about the whole tattoo thing. If it makes you feel better, mine's only half finished!"

"Mine too! Lou noticed it this morning, look" We lifted our elbows up towards each other just as Lou and the guys burst into hysterics behind us. Jackson and I realised at exactly the same time. Oh god, I had a sudden flashback our time in the tattoo parlour - we both wanted to get a 'J', but wanted the same style, we were having an argument over who got it. I remembered the guy who owned the place convincing us that it would be a _great_idea to just get the same one, but I do NOT remember how we each only had half of the same bloody tattoo! It was a gothic 'J' - the first part started on my arm, the second finished on Jackson's.

"Hey Jackson!" James was practically doubled over laughing. "Remember I told you to ask for the 50% discount?"

"Oh man." Jackson put his hands behind his head and looked at me.

"James' buddy owns that place, he told me I should ask for a 50% discount, I didn't realise it was a joke."

"He knew?" I turned to James and gave him the finger. He just carried on smiling, put his arm around Lou, and gave me a wink.

Suddenly, Marty appeared from nowhere, "Guys, we gotta go rehearse - now!"

"I'll see you later" Jackson stroked my arm, leaving me with goosebumps, and a goofy smile on my face.

Lou and I checked in, had a couple of hours to kill, so decided to recover in the hot tub. (We had to make the most of these places, it beat staying in the van - and besides, Lou needed an excuse to show off her new vintage swimsuit)

We stepped into the spa. Thank god the Monkey's were rehearsing, after all the drinking I had done recently, I was not looking at my best in my swimsuit. Luckily there was steam everywhere and it was pretty hard to see. We turned the corner, and Lou started to get in.

"Ladies" We jumped out our skin, noticing James sat in the corner of the hot tub. "Arrgghh!" Lou slipped, luckily, incredibly gracefully, straight into the hot tub, on top of James; they both ended up going under water for a second and came up spluttering. James was laughing, "Well, this has been my lucky day!". Lou looked mortified.

I suddenly felt a bit of a gooseberry and besides, this was definitely a case of_three__'__s__a__crowd._"Shit, I forgot" I grabbed my towel, "Have to make a phonecall". Lou was shooting daggers at me. I gave her a wink and left them to it.

I headed back to the room, and decided to pick out my outfit for tonight's gig.

Later that evening, we were backstage sharing a dressing room with the Monkeys, who had started to make a routine of swinging by to say good luck. James stood in the corner, filming everything and anyone in front of him.

"Hey, these are mine!" Ben J called, holding up a pair of Lou's drumsticks.

"No way!" She grabbed them back, laughing. "I have the 'Zildjian 7B, Wood - and you use the Zildjian 5B, Nylon!" Ben was now holding them high into the air, holding them out of Lou's reach.

"OK guys!" Sam walked in wearing one of his awful green suits he described as 'retro', but he looked more like a character from Sesame Street.

"No more need for arguments!" He was grinning, holding up some papers.

"Lou, Jane, Sony want to meet with you immediately. I've booked us flights for first thing tomorrow morning! All going well, we'll sign their contracts!" Sam rubbed his hands together, looking like a Cheshire cat.

"Tonight is officially your last gig supporting the 100 Monkeys, we'll go through flight details, accommodation and all that after your set. Which reminds me, you're on in 5 - lets get a move on."

Sam turned towards Jackson, "So, looks like your management accepted the request to remove the girls from your line up and get 'The Kissing Club' - your loss, it's worked out well for us," he winked and started to usher Lou and I out towards the stage area. I looked at Lou and she shrugged, I was in too much shock to celebrate the fact we were going to meet with Sony.

I could feel Jackson's eyes on me, but I ignored him and followed the others out. I smiled at Graupner as he high-fived us for our last gig together.

Minutes later, we were at the bottom of steps waiting to go on stage, when Heather appeared from beneath it. She seemed a little shocked to see us, but then quickly smiled "Ooops - got a little lost", and pushed past us out to the audience. I was looking forward to never seeing _her_again.

I turned to pick up my guitar, when Jackson appeared and pulled me aside. He held me up against the wall, out of sight.

"Look, it was ages ago, we put that request in before we knew you, I'm sorry, I can change it" He pleaded.

"No, I don't get it. I don't know what you want from me, besides, looks like we don't need to support a band like you anymore anyway" I was getting pissed off now. He stroked my hair, then my jawline, "I want...I want you to go steady with me" he said looking at the floor.

I couldn't help it, I laughed in his face, "Sorry" I tried to recover. "I just didn't think people actually spoke like that! Look, I don't know, things are still a bit complicated, right? I've already seen Heather once this evening."

Lou grabbed my arm, "Jane, I need to talk to you"

I kissed Jackson on the cheek, "I'll come find you after the gig."

"Yeah, whatever". Now _he _sounded pissed off, as I started to reply, he had already turned and headed out to the audience. I turned to Lou, and saw she had my phone in her hand.

**Well, what do you think? Are you glad Jane and Jackson are about to 'go steady'? What's Heather been up to? And who exactly has been ringing Jane?**

**Please review and I promise I will give you a sneak peek at the next chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Once again, all characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental ;)**_

_CHAPTER 9_

_LOU'S POV_

_3 Years Earlier..._

_Jane sighed as she pulled the hood down from her head. "How am I supposed to see my fretboard with this hanging over me?" She raised her hands up in mock despair._

_I tried to flick my head back to throw my hood back, but it wasn't working. "I dunno" I said, fixing my eyes at the tip of my hood, going cross-eyed, "But I think we look pretty cool!"_

_Our friend Mandy came running over to us, "You guys look amaaaazing!" she said, pulling us both into a hug, "Thanks so much for doing this! I owe you BIG time!"_

"_No worries" I said, still unable to flick the hood down, "More than happy to do it, maybe we might get to meet some hot movie stars!"_

_Jane and I had only just started playing together for a few months and were seriously toying with the idea of making it formal and becoming a proper band. We had done a few open mic nights which had gone down well and tonight, as a favour to Mandy, we were going to be the house band at a party she had arranged for the film company she worked for, along with a couple of other guys she had roped in as well._

"_So what's the deal with the robes again?" asked Jane._

_Mandy clicked her fingers, pulling her clipboard to her chest, "Let's walk and talk" she said, striding through the maze of corridors backstage at the venue hired for the evening. "Basically, you're vampires" she said, ticking things off her sheet as she walked. "The film's based on this book about a girl who falls in love with a vampire and there's a bunch of evil vampires called the Volturi who wear robes" she said, indicating at our attire with her pen. We must have still looked a bit apprehensive, "I'll lend you a copy" she added._

"_Go figure" I said, still unable to see properly from under the hood. Jane impatiently pulled my hood down and I gave her an apologetic smile. "And do these, Volturi? also play guitars and stuff?" I asked, in wonder at all the activity going on around us._

"_No" she laughed, "But we thought it would be fun to have the band dressed up as people mingle. The film's not quite gone into production yet but Summit think it's going to be a big deal, so they're having this party over here for everyone. The woman who wrote it is over here on an extended holiday whilst she writes her next book, so that's why they've flown everyone over for a quick junket to build up buzz"_

_Mandy led us into the main hall, which had been draped in large swathes of black fabric and had chest high tables covered in red velvet and topped with ivy wrapped around white church candles. There were occasional hissing sounds as the crew tested the dry ice machine. She walked up to the stage which had been set up at the back of the hall next to the bar, above which was a huge screen._

"_Here is where you'll be playing. I'll get the guys to set you up so you can have a sound check before we get going" she said, with another tick off the sheet._

"_Looks like it's going to be a lot of fun" I said, slightly worried about the size of the hall and the potential crowd we'd be playing to._

_She sighed, "Yeah, I almost wish I wasn't working. The main guy in it is hot! He's British too! The girls went crazy at comic-con last month when they officially unveiled the cast"_

_Jane jerked her chin up, "Oh yeah? Hot you say...?" she raised an eyebrow._

"_Sorry girls" said Mandy, walking over to adjust a table piece, "There probably won't be much chance for mingling. You can finish an hour before we need to pack up and have a quick boogie when the DJ comes on but the cast are going to be mixing with journos and studio execs tonight. Plus there'll be loads of other celebs as well and it doesn't look good if the hired help start mingling with the glitteratti. I'll try and get an autograph for you though"_

"_No worries" I said, "But we'd better get some canapes"_

_An hour later we were still in our crazy robes and waiting for the other members of our band to arrive. Whilst we were waiting Jane and I decided to have a quick warm up and finalise the set list. Mandy had requested that we played mainly songs from a playlist the author of the book had created whilst she had been writing it; it was mainly emo stuff but nothing we couldn't handle, the only problem was we couldn't play our own stuff. But still, it was a gig, and a paying one at that._

_We were mucking around when I spotted a small group of people wandering into the hall. They were dressed in suits and cocktail dresses and were taking in the get up. I stood up from my kit and hissed at Jane "It's not started yet, has it? The rest of the band aren't even here yet!"_

_Jane looked unperturbed, her usual cool self. "Nah" she said, slotting a plectrum into the head of her Les Paul Gibson, "Look, Mandy's just showing them around" she said, nodding at the group._

_As they got closer I could tell they were mainly Americans: they had loud voices and there were a few high fives and back slapping. The group looked quite young, probably the same age as Jane and I, although there were a few older people who I assumed were studio execs._

"_And this is the band" said Mandy, waving at us, "or some of them at least!" I gave a nod and murmured a "Hi" at the group, which contained a couple of good looking guys. I pulled my hood up so they wouldn't see me blush and pretended to busy myself with an amp. _

_One of the group wandered away and walked up to the stage, hands in pockets. Out of the corner of my eye I could just see his bleached blond hair which had been teased into a tousled quiff on his head, and his purple shirt underneath a black waistcoat._

"_Hi!" he said, as he got closer in a broad Texan accent, "Nice guitar!" he said, looking up at Jane who was adjusting her mic at the front of the stage._

"_Thanks" she said, distracted by the tangled cable._

_The stranger gave a crooked grin, "I uh, heard you two warming up earlier, you're pretty good!"_

"_Thanks. Again" Jane replied, coming over to me at the amp. "Dork alert" she said in a whisper. "What a weirdo!" I giggled, and tried to sort out the guitar leads heaped in the middle of the stage._

"_I'm in a band myself" said the stranger, still with his hands in his pockets. "I just formed it with my best buds"_

"_Oh" I said, kneeling on the stage, trying to sneak another look at the tall guy who was standing in the middle of the group "That's nice"_

"_Yeah, it's err, pretty, cool..." he replied, rocking on his heels._

_It was starting to get a bit awkward. I started to untangle the leads, feeling stressed that we were running out of time._

"_What's your name?" he asked, calling over me to Jane who was still by the amps._

"_We're the Volturi" she said over her shoulder. I could tell she was feeling the stress slightly too. I was hoping the idiot would jog on so we could get on with the sound check. Where the hell where Mandy's other guys?_

_He coughed, and then laughed, "Ah, no I meant, what was your real name?" he said, again with that crooked smile. _

_Jane walked across the stage, not looking at him, "Jane, Lou" she said, pointing to herself and then me as she walked past him. I peered out from under my hood and gave a little wave with a cursory "Hi"._

"_Is she usually so shy?" he asked, nodding his head towards Jane._

"_Yeah, she's a regular wall flower!" I joked._

"_Well, nice to meet you Jane, Lou. I'm Monroe, but everyone calls me..." he was interrupted by two guys rushing past him onto the stage, both wearing the same cloaks as Jane and I. "Sorry we're late, the tube was a nightmare! I'm Adam, this is Jake" said the taller of the two, holding out a hand._

_I stood up and dusted off my hands "Well, you're here now, we'll have to exchange pleasantries later. The set list is behind the drum kit" We briefly shook hands, when I noticed Jake settling in behind my drum kit. "Umm, excuse me?" I said, marching over._

_The Texan was still at the front of the stage, trying to get Jane's attention whilst I argued with Jake over who was going to be drumming that night._

"_Can I get you a drink, or something? Later I mean?" he said with a slight drawl. Jane shook her head, concentrating on tuning her guitar._

"_Aw, come on darlin'. Even wall flowers need some water. What's your poison?"_

_She glanced down at the Texan, and seemed to soften at his earnestness. "It's jack and coke" she said, with a slight smile. Sometimes all you needed was a poetic line to win Jane over. That and a gorgeous smile._

"_Jack and coke it is then!" he said, with a salute, and walked back to join the rest of the group._

"_You know Mandy said we could have free drinks all night as long as we took it easy" I said, plugging in my guitar. Jake had won the battle and would be drumming that night. _

"_Yeah, I know, " she replied, "I just wanted to shake him off. He was kinda creepy" she gave a mock shudder, but glanced over her shoulder towards his direction._

"_The group he's with look kinda hot though" I said, turning to look back but the group had already gone. "I wonder who they were?"_

_An hour and a half later we were allowed our first break of the evening whilst the DJ took over for a bit. I was admiring him from the side of the stage as he mixed his records, he was tall with dark hair and was dressed in a check suit with over sized geeky glasses. He looked quirky, but cool. I had to ask Mandy who he was._

_The stage was a purpose built one so there wasn't really any place for us to hide except for behind one of the curtains, so we tried to stay out of the way whilst Adam and Jake went to the bar to get us a drink. Jane swung her legs over the edge of the stage whilst I stood on the floor, where I had a good view of the DJ on the other stage but it didn't look too obvious I was checking him out._

_The venue was full of people swanning about, and I could see through Mandy making her way through the crowd. Behind her was a young man, with dark eyes and curly hair._

"_Hi girls!" she said brightly, showing no strain of working at the party. "You were amazing! How are you feeling?"_

"_Not too bad, thanks!" said Jane, "So you like it then?"_

"_Do I?" said Mandy, turning to the guy next to her for acknowledgement, who nodded in return._

"_Yeah, yeah you were great guys. Just awesome, awesome" he said, enthusiastically with an American accent._

"_Jane, Lou, this is my friend Josh. He's a singer too, don't you know!" _

_Josh looked slightly bashful as he held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Josh Groban" he said, as I shook his hand._

"_Hi Josh" I said, "I'm the aforementioned Lou" he nodded, and turned to Jane, who reached down from the stage to shake his hand._

"_So that must make you Jane?" he said._

"_Yeah, I guess it must!" said Jane. Mandy made her excuses and dashed off, leaving us with Josh. He seemed like a really nice guy; he was utterly charming and had a great sense of humour. He stood_ _talking to us for a good while, asking about the band, telling us he was 'in the business'. Jane and I groaned with a, "yeah, we've heard that one before!" when he jokingly replied he'd send us each a signed CD. Turns out he was a solo singer, a mixture of pop and opera and had just played one of his first gigs in London. _

_Jane suddenly frowned, "I know you!" she said, pointing at him, "I know where I recognise you from. Weren't you in Ally McBeal?"_

_He laughed, and stuffed his hands into his pockets, "Yeah, actually I was. You watched it?"_

_I left him and Jane to talk whilst I went in search of our drinks. We were due back on in a few minutes and I needed the Dutch courage, not to mention the name of the hot DJ._

_After finally locating Adam and Jake, who were taking full advantage of the free bar, I bumped into Mandy on the way back. I nodded towards Jane and Josh who were lost in conversation. "He seems nice?" I said._

"_Who, Josh? Yeah, he's great, such a lovely guy. Mega rich too!" she giggled._

"_Reaaalllllyyyy? He never brought that up!"_

"_Oh, Josh wouldn't. He's not like that!"_

"_Looks like he likes Jane though!" I said, taking a sip out of my drink. _

"_Bless" said Mandy, "He's just come out of a long term relationship. He could do with having a bit of fun"_

_I looked back at Jane who was doubled over in hysterics at something Josh had said. She was still sitting on the end of the stage, with Josh propping himself on his arm next to her._

"_Lou, I don't want to be mean but we need you to start up again" said Mandy, placing her hand on my shoulder. _

"_Ah sorry, just one more thing though" I said, taking another gulp, "DJ, who is he?"_

_Mandy laughed, "and more importantly, does he have a girlfriend?" she said._

_I shrugged, sipping the last of the JD & coke through my straw, sneaking another glance._

_Mandy leaned in, conspiratorially. "His name's Mark, he's British but was brought up in New York, he can play just about any instrument, he's been working with Amy Winehouse, and oh, he is gorgeous!"_

"_Yeah, I noticed!" _

_She grabbed my arm, "Ok, I'll quickly introduce you while I tell him to wind up his set and then you missy have to get back onto stage!"_

_She steered me over to the makeshift DJ booth and introduced me to Mark._

"_Hi," he said, "I was watching you guys earlier. Do you do any session work?"_

"_Sometimes for a bit of pocket money, not full time unfortunately" I admitted. We were both still in full time work, but played in bands and did some recording sessions on the side._

"_I'm producing an album at the moment, it would be great if you could come down and maybe jam with us for a bit. My original guitarist let me down at short notice" He tried to lean one arm above me, but was quite awkward. I thought he was lovely._

"_Yeah, yeah, sure. Why not?" Is he asking me out? I thought._

"_Erm, Lou, music?" said Mandy, tapping me on the shoulder._

"_Err, yeah. Shoot, sorry Mand!" I said, pulling my cloak to me and making to leave. Mark leaned over and touched me on the elbow, "Listen, I'm going for drinks later in Soho, maybe you and your band would like to come join? We can talk about getting you in for a session?"_

"_Sure" I replied, wishing I wasn't wearing this cloak. "Come and meet us at the exit when we're wrapped up"_

_He gave me a grin "Will do!"_

_I couldn't help but smile as I rushed back to Jane, who had already strapped on her guitar. Josh said his goodbyes and wandered off._

"_You won't believe what just happened!" I said, climbing up to join her. "Sorry for leaving you with Josh!"_

"_Ah, don't worry about it, he's cool." her eyes followed him into the crowd._

_Before I could tell her what happened, the bleached Texan from earlier came rushing over with a glass in his hand. _

"_Sorry Darlin', I couldn't get away. Here is your Jack and coke!" he said proudly, offering her the glass._

_Jane was still looking into the crowd for Josh, "Thanks, but we're about to start up again now, so..."_

"_Sorry, just one more thing though?" he pleaded, looking up at her with what I noticed to be big gorgeous green eyes. "Maybe we could meet up afterwards? Some of us are going to the after-party, if you will...?"_

_Jane looked down at him and had the same reaction to his intense eyes I did. She softened and smiled, "Yeah, why not?"_

_I was shocked! I thought she had hit it off with Josh? The Texan reached for her hand and kissed it. She giggled and blushed; I had to remember to rip it out out of her later on. I'd never seen her act like this with a guy before. _

"_So, promise you'll come meet me?" he said, still holding on to her hand and staring at her intently_.

_Jane nodded. He smiled and squeezed her hand. He gave her details of where to meet him after the party and rushed off again, looking back over his shoulder to flash her a brilliant smile._

_As we started up I leaned over to her, "Err, what was that?"_

_She just smiled "He seemed cute. Why the hell not?"_

_I couldn't argue with that._

_The gig went surprisingly well, and I felt boosted by the positive reactions we had got. Mandy was made up, and I was seriously considering making this a full time thing. To make up for being late Adam and Jake offered to load up the van for us, so we were hanging around ouside and Jane was having a sneaky cig._

"_So, what are you going to do now?" I asked her, jumping up and down to keep out the cold._

"_I might see if Monty or whatever his name is will come back" she said, exhaling the cigarette smoke. "How about you?"_

"_Weeeeellll, the DJ kinda sorta asked us to join him for drinks. He might be able to sort us out with some session work"_

"_Really? What was his name?"_

"_Mark something. Drop dead gorgeous"_

_She took another drag, "I thought you wanted an early night so you could go and check out that exhibition tomorrow?"_

_I shrugged my shoulders, hoping she would agree to drinks._

_Jane relight her cigarette. "I was thinking, maybe we should take it seriously. The band thing, I mean"_

"_Exactly! Which is why we should see this producer DJ guy. Mandy said he'd been working with Amy Winehouse"_

"_And so you can get your end away, you mean!" she laughed._

_I held up my hands, "Look, I'm just going to talk about music and potentially get some work. If at some point in the evening he happens to fall madly in love with me, then that's just something that might happen!" I joked._

_Jane laughed and had the last few puffs of her cigarette. "Let me give Manni another five mins?"_

_I raised an eyebrow. _

"_Come on, I thought he was cute. Such a southern gent as well!"_

"_I thought you said his name was Monty?"_

"_Monville, Monteray, Mon-something...!" she said._

_I pulled my arms around myself. "I'll wait with you for five minutes and five minutes only for that weirdo. After that I'm going to find DJ Handsome and then probably go and live with him in his converted loft in Manhattan. If you don't want a piece of that, then that's your tough luck, isn't it Janey-waney? And anyway, isn't Monterary a kind of cheese?"_

_She grinned. "Cheers dude. So, what are we going to call ourselves?"_

_After a few minutes discussing band names I became aware of the time. Looking around, I saw Josh coming towards us._

"_Hi! There you are. How are you?" he said, clapping his hands together against the cold._

"_Good thanks" said Jane, stubbing out the end of her cigarette, "Where are you off to?"_

"_Well, I was just going to ask you lovely ladies if you wanted to accompany me to some drinks my friend Mark is having?"_

"_Mark? As in Mark the DJ?" I asked, feeling butterflies in my stomach._

"_Yeah, you know him? He's having drinks in Soho, would you like to come?" _

_Jane looked hesitant. I looked at her pleadingly._

"_Please? I don't want to go on my own, and you already know Josh!" I said, still bouncing up and down._

_She looked around and then at her watch. A ringing noise came from Josh's pocket. He pulled out his phone, "Oh, this is Mark right now". I glanced at the caller id, which said 'Ronson'._

_He walked to one side to take the call. I put my hands on top of Jane's._

"_Please please please please come with me? I'll do anything!"_

_She looked at her watch again and sighed. "Look dude," I said, "He's keeping you here waiting in the cold, he's late, and I think Joshy is well in to you!" We looked over and he smiled back at us. Or at Jane, to be precise._

_She caught his eye and I could see her start to falter._

_Josh came back over. "Mark is just around the corner, he was looking for you at the wrong exit apparently!" he said with a broad smile._

_I looked at Jane expectantly. "Pleeeeaaassseee?"_

"_Sod it. OK then, let's go"_

"_Yay!" I bounced up and down again and gave her hug. Josh seemed pleased at the news, "Awesome, oh, hi Mark!"_

_Mark came around the corner, still wearing his glasses. "Lou, hi, sorry, I err, went to, the err, wrong exit! Are you still coming?"_

"_Yes!" I said, linking my arm with Jane's, "and Jane is too!"_

"_Cool!"_

_As we walked away, I could see Jane looking over her shoulder in case the Texan had changed his mind. "Sorry dude" I said in a low voice, "You lose some" I indicated the exit where we had been standing, "You win some!" I nodded towards Josh, who smiled back at us. Looking at Josh, she began to relax. "Let's do this!" she said._

__**As usual any reviews (good or bad) are greatly appreciated! Much more to come...!**


	10. Chapter 10

**As always, any resemblance to anyone alive or dead is merely coincidental ;)**

CHAPTER 10

LOU'S POV

I felt bad for pulling Jane away from Jackson but this had been playing on my mind for ages. Jackson looked mighty pissed off as he stomped off into the crowd and Jane was looking after him.

She looked sad, and I wasn't sure what I was going to tell her would make her feel any better.

"Sorry about that, this probably isn't the best timing but your phone's being burning a hole in my pocket for a while now" I said, holding it in my hand.

"Oh there it is, thanks dude! But we really should be getting on...?"

I grimaced. "Jane, you've had a number of missed calls...from Josh"

She raised her eyebrows in surprise as I handed her her phone. She gazed at the screen, looking at the missed calls. She gulped and looked at me. I could tell she was casting her mind back over the past few years. After our first gig, we had struck it lucky. Mark turned out to be a super star producer and supported us becoming a proper band (and he and I may have also got it together briefly!) Jane and Josh had hit it off and became something else altogether.

"What do you think he wants?' she asked, knowing I wouldn't be able to answer. She was asking herself as much as me.

"I'm sorry to bring it up now, but what with Sony and everything, I didn't want to keep it from you" I felt gutted. I may have just royally messed things up.

She placed her phone into her pocket and looked out at the crowd. She gave a heavy sigh, "Well, there's a time and place we can discuss this and that's after our last support gig and at the bar!"

"Are you ok?" I said, looking for signs I may have upset her.

"I'm fine, honestly. Let's just play an amazing set and then we can concentrate on getting SIGNED!" she half-sang.

She looked across to the other side of the stage, where Graupner had hold of the MC mic. He gave us a wink before talking to the crowd from behind the curtain.

"Hellloooo Missouri! How are you all doing out there?" The crowd went wild at the sound of his voice. "Sounds like you're doing OK!" he laughed and and nodded at us.

"Well, I'd like to introduce you to a couple of friends of ours, all the way from Lonnndon, Englaaaannd!" He sounded like a wrestling announcer.

"But, oh, it's their last gig opening for the Monkeys, so make sure you go wild for THE SWITCHBLADE KITTENS!"

The crowd cheered as we ran on to stage. Jane picked up her guitar as I jumped behind the drum kit. The atmosphere was electric.

"Hi" said Jane into the mic. "Nice to meet you. This is called Teenage Cleopatra"

The crowd cheered even louder as I tapped my drumsticks to cue in Jane. She held her arm aloft and pulled it down to strum her guitar.

And then everything went black.

GRAUPNER'S POV

There was a deathly hush and then screaming and shouting. A massive spark had blacked out the stage. Through the smoke I could see Lou trying to get out from behind her drum kit, calling for Jane, and then I saw a figure lying on the floor.

Shit!

Suddenly, Jackson pushed past me on to the stage. Some of the girls in the crowd starting screaming louder.

"Close the goddam curtains!" screamed Jackson, "And get a medic here NOW!"

He knelt down on the stage as the curtains drew. Marty came up behind me and grabbed the MC mic, trying to make an announcement but the electrics were down. He rushed to the front of the stage to try and calm the audiencewhilst I ran to where J was kneeling.

He was bent over Jane who was lying spark out, flat on her back on the stage, checking for signs of life.

"Jane, darlin', Jane? Can you hear me?"

"Jane?" called Lou, who suddenly saw the two figures in the clearing smoke. "JANE!" She dropped beside Jackson. "Wha, what happend? Is she OK? Jane?"

I watched as Jackson cradled her head and as Sam rushed on to stage. Jerad and Johnson came running up.

"What happened?" said Jerad, "is everyone OK?" He looked over and immediately rushed to Lou and Jackson. Jackson was still leaning over Jane, brushing the hair away from her face.

"She's OK, she's breathing" he said to Lou, who looked like she was about to fall apart. Jane's eyes were still shut but there didn't look to be any signs of bad damage. Lou clutched at Jackson's arm, looking down at Jane.

"Jane, Jane? Can you hear me? Is anyone here a first aider? WE NEED HELP!" she called in desperation. Jerad put his hands on her shoulders "It's alright" he said, "Jackson knows what he's doing".

He had checked her pulse and breathing, and was resting her head in his lap. His brow was furrowed and he was anxiously scanning her body for any outward signs of damage. "Dude, is she alright?" I asked, my throat starting to burn from all the smoke.

Marty marched over "Guys, can we give her some air please, she's had a nasty shock"

Jerad and I stepped back, but Lou and Jackson remained where they were. Jackson was huddled protectively over Jane, cradling her in his arms, softly calling her name.

"Jane, Jane? Wake up, please!" said Lou, her face was streaked with tears. Jerad hovered behind her.

After what seemed like an age, the first aider for the building came on to the stage. Jackson was reluctant to let her go, but still held on to her hand whilst the medic gave her the once over. Lou was on the verge of hysterics, Jerad pulled her up and into his arms.

"She's OK, she's had an electric shock but her breathing and pulse are fine. She should come round in a second".

This seemed to give Lou a release, and she promptly burst into tears and knelt at Jane's head. Jackson was still holding tight, holding her hand to his mouth.

Suddenly, she stirred. Her eyes fluttered open and Jackson let out an audible sigh of relief. He gently stroked her head. "Hi sleeping beauty! You had us all scared for a moment there!" he said softly.

Jane blinked and looked confused. "What happened?" she said, and then gave a slight moan. "My head hurts" she tried to sit up, but Jackson gently pushed her back down.

"Slow down there beautiful, take it easy"

Lou wiped the tears from her eyes, "Are you OK Jane? How are you feeling?"

Jane coughed and covered her eyes with her arm "Like I've been hit by a truck!" She suddenly sat bolt upright, "Where's my guitar?"

Jackson chuckled as he held on to her to lie her back down again, "Shhh darlin'. It's fine, I took it off you, although you're looking a lot better than it is at the moment"

Jane's guitar lay smouldering a few feet away, the underneath around the jack was covered in black scorch marks. How the hell did she survive that?

Finally the paramedics arrived. Marty had promised the crowd the Monkeys would do another gig or provide a full refund and I could hear they were all gradually leaving. The lights slowly flickered on as the electrics came back on. As they were treating Jane I glanced around. Jerad was holding onto Lou who had calmed since Jane had come round, and Johnson was awkwardly patting her on her back. There were groups of worried people around the stage. Sam and Marty were talking to the venue owner, and Heather and JoJo were standing anxiously to the side. Heather was gnawing on her nails, as JoJo whispered something to her.

I heard a commotion from the middle of the stage. "I don't want to go to hospital, I feel fine!" said Jane, who was now sitting up leaning against Jackson, who was stroking her arm.

"Jane, darlin' you've had an electric shock. Your heart may have stopped!"

She shook her head in disbelief, "I'm OK, really!"

Lou crouched down beside her friend, "Jane, babe, let them check you out properly. You don't know if there's any underlying damage"

"I'm fine, honestly, will you please all stop fussing!" she insisted. Jackson gave a slight smirk, still stroking her arm.

The Paramedic stood up, "Well you look OK but I would feel a lot better if you came in for a quick check"

Jane shook her head again.

Sam came over, about to give her the third degree. The medic stopped him, "Look, she seems OK. If someone stays with her and keeps an eye on her, bring her in to the clinic in the morning and they can give you the all clear. Just make sure she stays off her feet". Jackson smirked, the dog! I'm sure he'd definitely make sure she stayed off her feet!

Sam tried to protest whilst Lou and Jackson nodded sagely. Jackson brushed Jane's hair behind her ear and whispered something to her, which made her smile. I had known for ages he'd had it bad for her, although the dog wouldn't admit it. Jerad had it bad for Lou too, although when we'd ribbed him he'd gone off into a strop which only confirmed it.

By now James had also come on the stage, despite Marty's attempts to clear it. He came up to me, "I saw the whole thing, I was filming them coming onto the stage, there's something you need to see". He held out his camera.

As the paramedics left, Jackson swept Jane up into his arms and carried her off stage. She put her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest, her eyes closed. As they walked off they were closely followed by Lou. James thrust the camera into my hands, "Wind it back about five minutes, I'm going to see how Lou, I mean, Jane is". He rushed off and I looked at the viewfinder.

**Thank you so much for reading my story ;) Please stay tuned to find out what happens next! Is Jane ok? Will they ever truly know what happened? Was the exploding guitar truly an accident? **

**Thank you so much for the reviews so far ;) xxx**


	11. Chapter 11

**All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental**

CHAPTER 11

JANE'S POV

I realised I was holding onto Jackson longer than was probably necessary. But I was so exhausted, and nothing was going to extract me from _those_ muscly arms. Some medic guy had come to check me out, whilst everyone stood around fussing, and trying to work out what had gone on. I knew I had received an electric shock, and I hit the floor pretty hard as my bones were aching and I could feel the bruises coming up. Jackson had tried to stop me looking for my guitar, but it was too late. It was ruined. I wanted to cry, but would have looked stupid, as I also could have lost my life, so I just sat there quietly instead. James kept trying to show Jackson something on his camera, Jackson had refused to let me go and I was too out of it to get what exactly he was talking about - so he had settled on showing Graupner instead.

I had my eyes closed and was drifting off again with my face nuzzled in the crease of his neck, when I suddenly felt his arms tense up and tighten around me. I looked up to see Heather looking sullen being escorted by her father and a couple of the security guards walking past our dressing room door. I gave Jackson a questioning look.

"Don't worry about that, darlin" and kissed the top of my head. "I'll fill you in later".

"Later?" I sat up. "Where's Lou?"

"Here!" I looked down to where her voice came from. She was on the floor, sat up between James' legs, he was rubbing her shoulders as she cradled a plastic cup of something that looked suspiciously like whiskey.

I raised my eyebrow at James.

"What?" he looked at me with a grin like butter wouldn't melt. "Lou's had a shock too, you know!"

Lou hiccuped; "Dude, can't believe you just survived your guitar exploding! I seriously thought it was all over!"

"With the exploding guitar, wrecking my car, and stage diving, you girls are gonna get yourselves a kick-ass 'Rockn'Roll' reputation". Jerad was leaning against the door frame, smiling, looking anywhere but in Lou's direction. He looked pretty tired. "Guys, we should pack up, we gotta few things to sort out." He snuck a quick look at Lou, and wandered back towards the stage area.

"Shit, what time is it? Did you guys play your set?" I just couldn't make sense of the order of things.

"Yeah" Ben G suddenly piped up. "We just stood around your unconscious body while we played. You got in the way a bit when we all swapped instruments But we managed."

"Hey Lou", Jackson grabbed her attention. "That medic guy said Jane needs watching through the night. And you, er still seem in shock, so mind if I split the band up for a night and I'll take care of Jane?"

I raised my eyebrows at her and grinned _definitely. _

"I think I can allow that on this occasion" she hiccuped again.

"Right" once again, Jackson took my hand, and before I could stop him he once again lifted me up in his arms. "Lets get you out of here, James, can you get Lou back to her room, please?"

James lifted Lou to her feet. "Oh, I forgot" she said, reaching into her bag, "Your _phone _remember?" She pressed the phone into my hand and squeezed it, giving me our secret 'this is serious ' look... Oh, the missed calls, I'd forgotten. "Thanks," I said, taking it from her, catching her eye; "Won't need it until tomorrow though". She winked back at me, we both knew that there was only one young man that had my attention this evening. Electric shock or no electric shock, this was possibly the last night I'd ever spend with Jackson, and I was not going to waste it.

Jackson and I rode the lift in silence, I had my head resting on his chest whilst I tried to control my breathing. I was suddenly nervous, I guess it was a mixture of nearly dying (OK, slight exaggeration) and finally being alone with Jackson. In a hotel room. _Grow Up! _ I chided myself. Jesus, we even have a sort of matching tattoo, he's not a stranger, and it's not like I haven't had sex with anyone before... Suddenly my phone rang, startling us both. I checked the screen. Josh. Why did he have to crop up right now? I shut the phone off, and shut him out. Like I said, nothing else was going to ruin this. I pulled Jackson's face towards mine running my hands up inside his shirt stroking the soft, taut skin over his abs. He grunted in surprise, but quickly returned the kiss. I could feel the heat rising in my chest as I kissed him deeper, his fingertips inside the top of my jeans, stroking my hip bone and pulling me closer to him. The lift stopped at our floor, we stumbled across the hallway, my lips never leaving his.

Somehow, we made it into the bedroom and he pushed me backwards towards the bed.

"Are you sure you're feeling OK darlin'?" he said, finally pulling away from me, brushing the hair from my face. "You had quite a shock there!"

My response was to pull him closer, so that he fell onto me on top of the bed.

"I guess that answers that question then!" he laughed, rearranging himself to a more comfortable position.

"Less talking, more kissing" I said, wrapping my legs around his waist.

The next morning we made it down to reception just before check out time. I had hoped for a quiet entrance as it was pretty obvious that I hadn't been back to my own room. I had tried to brush my hair as best I could with Jackson's poor excuse for a comb, he hadn't even bothered with _his_ hair. Oh well, I'm sure our stupid grins gave us away anyway.

It's not _my_ fault! I phoned Lou all morning, she had my key to our room, and for some reason wasn't answering the room phone or her mobile. I snuck out early this morning and banged on our door, but heard nothing. I was beginning to feel a little guilty, I hoped I hadn't made a mistake by leaving her with James.

We walked into the lobby, and I spotted Lou instantly, stood at the reception desk, chatting to Jerad and Ben G. The rest of the band, James, Sam and Marty were stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by drum kits, amps, bags and guitar cases.

I got a smirk from Graupner, "Feeling better?" he asked.

"Much, thank you" I replied, flashing him a cheeky smile.

Everyone's stuff was already here in the lobby. The guys were checking the kit, making sure neither of us were leaving with the wrong instruments. I suddenly realised this was it, the end of the road as the Monkey's support act, and the last time I'd see Jackson until...when? Last night was amazing, (and about time) but realistically it couldn't go anywhere, and it had obviously crossed my mind that I couldn't have been the first girl he's hooked up with on the road. The boys were still on tour, and would be for the next few months. I felt a pang; I would have loved to carry on hitting the road with them, we'd had so much fun so far, but I couldn't handle it. Josh's sudden reappearance in my life had reminded me of what it was like. One of the first thoughts I had was 'Wow, he managed to keep the same phone number for nearly a year'. Josh was constantly having to change his number, I don't know how did they did it, but those damn Grobanites always managed to get it. Jackson was an _actor_, and currently in one of the biggest teen movies ever. Wherever we went, there would be girls and journalists and photographers everywhere. I couldn't do that again.

I squared my shoulders and headed over towards Lou.

"Hey, what happened to you, last night? I was calling for ages this morning! Did you even stay in our room?"

Lou jumped. She promptly went bright red, looked incredibly guilty, gritted her teeth and said in a whisper, "Tell you later. We have a LOT to talk about. Here, " she handed me my bag. "You should probably put your face on, we have to get going soon - besides I don't have to ask what _you've _been up to! Over that little electric shock, are we?"

I tried to contain my smile, thinking of electric shocks just made me think of Jackson. Speaking of which, I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Hey darlin'"

He snaked his arm round my waist, "Can I have a word?"

"Sure," I said handing my bags over to him, "You can help me pack the van ." I turned to Lou, "You're OK, though, right?"

"Yep" she looked over my shoulder, I could hear James' voice coming towards us. She started to get flustered. "Just get these on the car!" she said, handing me more bags. I couldn't wait to see what that was about.

After packing up the car Jackson took my hand and led me over to a bench, looking out over the forest. We sat and stared at in in silence. He took my hand in his.

"How long will you be in LA? Do you want to meet up when we get back? It would be a shame to split up this kind of 'Multi-band' thing we've all got going on." He winked at me and flashed one of his devastating smiles. God he was hard to resist.

"Um, sure" I started, I had no idea where this was going, and definitely had no idea what I was about to say next. But I refused to get this carried away over a guy, (even though I had to admit there was something special about this one) I had the worst luck with men, I just couldn't risk the whole unrequited love thing (although that has helped me to write about 90% of our songs...).

"We can meet up, you know, we'll both be there at the same time, I guess" I said, trying not to look him in the eye, other wise I wouldn't be able to do it. "But I'm guessing Lou and I won't be there much, and you guys are definitely still on the road for the next three months. So.. "

"I see", he dropped my hand, he looked so hurt. I felt awful. _Why was I doing this? _"It's, well it's a long story."

"Hey Jackson! We gotta go, man!" Jerad and the others were by their tour bus, packing in the last of the kit.

We stood up, he turned to face me. "How about I call you when we're back? " He asked, hopefully. "A long-distance phonecall?"

"Sure" I smiled and kissed him one last time. "Have fun, I hope 'Annabelle' behaves herself!

I'll see you soon".

As I walked away, I wished that was true.

The next morning Lou and I were stood in the blazing hot heat outside Sony Records, waiting for Sam, who, as always was 'stuck in traffic'. Lou was sat on the front steps, drumming nervously on her lap, wearing one of her new dresses that she had seen on her outing with Jerad. She had her hair up in her famous quiff and her trademark red lipstick. She had convinced me to make more of an effort than usual, so I brought out my favourite outfit, a tight, black pencil dress, in a 'Madmen' style, the one I was saving for Texas. Oh well, maybe it would bring me luck here.

Lou was still refusing to tell me what went on her after I left her in the dressing room. She assured me she was fine, and would tell me soon, but was acting very strangely. Like she wasn't totally ready for this or something. I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Do you think we should call him again?" she asked.

"Nah, lets go in, we might as well not have Sam here. He misses the meeting, it's his fault. Besides, look how well putting us on tour with the Monkeys worked out? We didn't get on with them for ages at the beginning. And one of their groupies tried to kill us! Maybe we should be running this ourselves?"

"Sure" Lou smiled, "But I'm not wearing a banana costume or anything."

The reception area was cool and refreshing after the hot sun outside. The long black marble desk stretched along the back wall, with three what appeared to be models sat behind it, answering phones and tapping away on the latest Apple Macs.

We had checked in and were waiting to be taken up to meet with a Peter Goldman, didn't get his title, but it was something to do with talent searching or something. If we were to believe Sam, this Goldman guy was kind of a big deal, and had said that numerous people were interested in working with us.

"Can you tell me now?" I asked Lou in my best whiny voice. "Pleeeease?"

"NO! Shush now, we'll talk after this meeting. Do you think we should have done some research? I have no idea what to say to these people!"

"Neither do I, let's just be ourselves and hear what they have to say, we don't have to sign anything."

"Miss Fox and Miss Hamilton?" We looked up to see a Zach Efron look-a-like holding out his hand to us.

"They're ready for you now".

I raised my eyebrows at Lou. Now _that's_ the kind of artist I could totally work with.

We followed him to the lift and up to the 22nd floor. We stepped on to the beige, soft plush carpeting, and started down a long corridor, one side of which was made up of huge windows looking out over downtown LA. You could just make out the Hollywood sign through the city smog. The view, coupled with the Beatles 'White Album' that was playing throughout the building, was totally making me feel like something huge was going to happen.

We followed young Zac in through two large, oak doors at the end of the corridor. The room was large, at one end was the most expensive looking music system I had ever seen, at the other huge bay windows with a panoramic view. A giant dark oak table sat between Lou and I, and the three Sony representatives that had requested the meeting with us. In the centre was who I could only imagine Peter Goldman; he was a large guy, probably mid fifties, but looked older as he had little hair left. He had a friendly face, and smiled at us broadly. To his left was a blond woman in probably her 50's, but looked more like 35 who seemed a little less friendly, but smiled at us all the same. And to Peter Goldman's right-hand side, directly opposite me, stood Josh.

**Hey all! Thanks as always for reading my story - keep an eye out next week to find out what Josh is up to... And when will the Kittens and the Monkeys meet up again? Is Heather totally out of the picture now? AND what the hell happened to Lou?**

**Love your reviews ;) Thank you xx**


	12. Chapter 12

**As usual, any resemblance to any persons is coincidental ;-)**

CHAPTER 12

LOU'S POV

I turned to Jane, mouth open, to make sure that her heart hadn't stopped. She just stared coolly ahead.

Peter Goldman rose and clapped his hands together, "Ladies! Thank you so much for coming at such short notice!" He walked around the table to shake our hands "Jane, Lou, please sit down" he said, gesturing to two of the many seats around the table. "Can we get you anything to drink?"

"Water?" I croaked. My throat was very dry. I glanced back at Jane. It felt like my heart was going to beat through my chest, and if this was just what I was feeling, I couldn't even begin to wonder what she was feeling.

Goldman laughed, "Very well, but I'm sure you'll fancy something a bit more celebratory afterwards" he said, to which the blond woman nodded.

Josh just sat there, grinning.

"Ladies, this is Melinda Gavin, she's the head of our legal department, and well, I guess you know Josh already!" Melinda gave a stern smile.

The Zac Efron assistant came back with a jug of water which he set down and poured everyone a glass from. I snatched mine quickly and downed it, wishing it was something stronger.

"Mr Goldman, Sam Richards said he is running late but is on his way" said 'Zac', before flashing us both a dazzling white smile on his way out of the room. Usually I would have smiled back, but I was feeling too dazed by everything going on, not to mention still reeling from the previous night.

Jane concentrated on her glass and tried not to look ahead. I wished Sam was here to talk for us.

"So, how was the tour?" asked Goldman.

I let out a slight squeak, my throat was still tight. Jane sat silently, turning the glass around on the table. Josh laughed. I cleared my throat.

"Good. Really good. We love the monkeys!" Jane kicked me under the table.

"Good to hear, good to hear! We just love those guys, Jackson especially. He gets the right demographic you know". We both nodded. "Plus, it can't have been too hard for two young gals like yourself to have been on tour with a movie star!"

Jane blushed, using her hair to cover her face.

"It was alright, yeah?" I replied. Damn Sam, we were going to have to do this signing on our own. I straightened up in my chair.

"We were playing to at least 400 on the door every night towards the end, that's way above the usual 20% of gross audience you'd expect for a support act" I said.

They all laughed. Goldman waggled his finger at me, "Sam warned me about you. He said you were the feisty one!"

"Yeah, I'm a regular wild child. Shall we start without Sam?" I didn't want them to think Jane and I were a couple of bimbos. I silently willed her to talk.

"I don't see why not" said Goldman, "Sam has provisionally OK'd the contracts, but we just wanted to get you into talk, to meet us, see we're not some big evil company, that we're really nice guys!"

"We haven't seen any contracts yet" said Jane, "We only heard last night. But we've already had interest from Warners and Polydor" In my head I gave her a high-five.

Melinda stood up and passed over two contracts. Before she'd even looked at the papers in front of us, Jane spoke again, "Could I just ask why Mr Groban is here? I wasn't aware he was at Sony management?"

Josh gave a shy smile, "I was waiting for you to address the elephant in the room!"

Goldman spoke up, "Josh here is a good friend of mine, and when he passed on your demo tape, well, I was mightily impressed. It seemed only fitting he be here to join in the celebration. That is, if you sign today!" he said, with a bright white grin.

"Josh gave you our demo tape?" I asked, my eyes widening. Sam HAD NOT mentioned this.

"Of course," said Goldman. "It was a while ago I admit, but we wanted to see how you fared on tour before we made things official. And I'm so glad Josh did. Having his name attached could mean big things for you two!"

I was shocked. Josh was responsible for all of this? He must have kept on to some of our tapes after he'd split from Jane. But why?

Goldman went on to explain his plan: we'd get a couple of months in a studio and Sony would put us up in LA. If they liked what they heard they would get some more producers to mix the album - he told us a few but Mark's name stood out. I stared at Josh. Although Mark and I hadn't exactly parted on bad terms, we hadn't kept in touch. Why now would he and Josh want to get involved with the kittens again?

Jane has sped read through the contract. "This all looks in order, but we'd like a few minutes to discuss some details between ourselves in private, before we speak to Sam"

"Be my guest" said Goldman, gesturing to the door, "I'll order in some lunch. You girls like sushi?"

"Yeah, whatever" said Jane, standing up. I followed her out of the room into the reception.

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked, skimming through the contract, "Are there any issues. It looked OK to me but I may have missed something"

"Oh no, it looks fine" said Jane, dismissively, "We're totally going to sign. I just wanted to talk about you and James. I couldn't bear it any longer!"

"What?" I exclaimed. "We're at Sony, about to sign our lives away on a deal that was arranged by your ex, and you want to talk about me and James?"

She shrugged, "They wouldn't waste this much money on us if we weren't that good. So what if Josh was the one who passed the tape on? It gave us an in. I can deal with everything else later, the why's and wherefores. But what I really want to know is what happened last night with you and Franco!"

We sat on the sofa. It was quiet, so I wasn't bothered about anyone overhearing. I groaned and rested my forehead on my palm. "As long as you give me all the gory details about you and Jackson. Well, not ALL"

"You first" she smirked.

"Wee-lll, you know when you left me & James in the hot tub?" I said, trying not to look at her. Oh, the shame!

"Yeah?"

"Well, um, me and James, kinda, well, made out!"

Jane squealed, then clamped her hand over her mouth. "Seriously? Oh my god! How? IN the hot tub? Gross dude!"

I moaned and raised my hand to my forehead, as if I could pull the memory straight out. "I know, it was over really quickly, I don't really like the whole public displays of affection thing"

"But how? And then what happened last night?"

I told her what happened after she'd left. James had still held on to me after I'd managed to make a complete fool out of myself and land on top of him in the hot tub. I remember my face starting to feel hot as I recalled our drunken kiss from the other night, and turned my face away.

"Hey, hey, why so shy?" he laughed, doing that cute thing where he's screw his face up into a big smile.

"Not here Jimmy, any one could walk in!"

"Or dive in!" he said, laughing again. I pulled away and rested my back against the edge of the tub. He moved next to me, and I could feel his skin next to mine. As awkward as the situation was, it wasn't often that I was going to get this close to Franco.

He lightly ran a finger along my shoulder and flicked the tie of the straps of my bathing suit which were knotted at my neck. "This is a nice bathing suit." His arm snaked behind my neck and I could feel him making circles on my bare skin.

I looked down, "Oh this old thing?"

He did a mock cough and gestured to himself. I glanced down into the water at his black shorts. "And yours are lovely too!"

"Oh, thanks! They're vintage" he said. I balled my hand into a fist and gently thumped his knee, which was pressed against mine. "Are you taking the mick?" I asked.

"What's 'taking the mick'? Is that a British expression? If you mean making fun of you, then no, I'm not!"

I shook my head, "Doesn't sound like it Jimmy. You are always on at me"

"I'm not, I promise. And I told you could call me Teddy"

"As in Teddy Ruxpin? Is that where it came from?" As soon as I'd said it, I wished I could have stuffed my fist into my mouth to stop it coming out.

He laughed again, "No, not quite. But I might tell people I was a huge fan. I might start wearing the t-shirt"

"And fly a plane?"

"Yeah, maybe" he chuckled, "Hang on, did Teddy Ruxpin fly a plane?"

"I think so, I can't quite remember. Why are we talking about this anyway?"

"You brought it up" he flicked the knot at the back of neck. "What are you doing later?"

"After the gig? I dunno. Probably another party. I think my liver's thinking about leaving me, especially after St Louis" Uh oh. I'd inadvertently brought up that night. He was going to think I was crazy.

"Ahhh, yes, St Louis" he said, leaning back, his arm still behind me and his hand resting on my bare shoulder. "What a great night"

"Yeah, it wasn't too bad. Probably one of our best ever gigs! Especially when we did Teenage Dream!"

He fixed his gaze and me and grinned "I seem to remember you kissed me?"

I was started to feel flustered, his closeness was making me feel dizzy and it wasn't helped by the heat in the room.

"I did not! You kissed me, thank you very much!"

"You're welcome!"

I pounded his thigh again.

His hand left my shoulder and cupped the back of my head, turning my face to him.

"Jimmy, I..." but before I could finish he silenced me with a slow kiss.

I closed my eyes and ran my fingers through his hair as he pulled me closer. I could feel his heart thumping through his chest, pressed against mine. He shifted slightly, using one hand to grab my waist and the other to hook under my knee, pulling me to face him on his lap and straddle him. Things were starting to heat up and I pulled back.

"I would really rather not do this here" I said, pushing him away.

He smirked and clipped my chin. "Sorry, got a bit carried away. It must be the swimsuit", he said, running a hand up my thigh.

"I should go" I said, clambering to get out. He laughed as I stumbled.

"Lou," he called as I hauled myself out of the tub, "Come to my room after the show. I've got something to show you"

"OK" I said, desperate to get out.

As I got changed back into dry clothes I'd realised I still had Jane's phone and resolved that I was going to tell her that night about the missed calls.

Of course, I explained to her as we sat in the area outside of the meeting room, the gig didn't quite go as planned. Jane winced a bit at the memory of her electric shock.

"But what happened after? I swear to go I will die if you don't tell me what happened right now" she said.

"So, ah, after, your, um, accident, James was really great. He wouldn't leave my side and kept me calm when I was freaking. I really thought you were really hurt dude" A lump rose in my throat as I remembered the panic I'd felt. Jane punched my on the arm.

"Don't be such a wuss. And don't skirt around the issue!"

"Yeah, so after Jackson carried you off he suggested going to his room" I said.

"Smooth!" she laughed.

It wasn't like that, but telling her made it seem a lot more cheesy than it was. As Jackson had carried Jane off I thought I was going to have a heart attack myself. I was so shell shocked I nodded dumbly as he took me by the hand and led me outside to hail a cab. On the way back to the hotel I rested my head on his shoulder, feeling myself calm down after the huge shock.

By the time we'd got back I was feeling more myself, and the whisky was starting to take effect. Up in James' room, he sat on the bed, turned on his mac and turned the screen to face me.

"I wanted to show you what I've been working on" he said, patting the space next to him for me to sit down.

He clicked on a file to open up iphoto. There were hundreds of photos from the tour: of the Monkeys, larking around on stage, a few black and white ones of the guys hanging backstage. And some of the Kittens. Jane singing into a mic, me playing on the drums. And tons and tons of us backstage, all artfully shot, cool lighting etc. And lots of me.

My eyes widened. "Oh my god you're a serial killer" I said.

James laughed. "No, not really, I just find you interesting"

"Not so interesting you want to hunt me for sport and wear my skin as a dress?"

"No, definitely not! You're safe with me, promise"

I wiped my brow, "Phew! But why all the pics?"

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "I just wanted to capture everything the way I saw it.

You're pretty something"

"Well, thanks, but I'm worried the next thing you're going to show me in you dressed in my clothes"

He leant back on the bed and rested on one elbow, looking at me. "No, that was Lawrence. He looked amazing in that flowery blue number"

I smiled and looked back at the screen. "I still don't know what all this is for though. You're meant to be documenting the Monkeys and bonding with Jackson aren't you? Why all the freaky deaky photos of me and Jane?"

"I get easily side-tracked" he said with that heart-melting smile, reaching for my hand. "You're fascinating".

I laughed and sat forward on the bed. "One thing you should never call a woman is fascinating. Makes me sound like I'm a fish or something. Do you have anything to drink, I think I'm still in shock" I was starting to blush again and not sure where the night was going to go.

He hopped off the bed and opened a cupboard, "I stashed a bottle of bourbon here so the monkeys wouldn't get at it. Here" he said, handing me a glass.

I gulped it down and handed it back, "Thanks. I'll have another one, and make it a proper measure this time" He laughed and brought the bottle over to the bed, pouring two more glasses.

It was then that I noticed the DVD next to the bed. I grabbed it, "Wow, My Own Private Idaho. I've not seen this in years!"

"It's one of my favourites" said James, handing me back my glass.

"Yeah, me too. I was totally mesmerised by it when I was a kid. I was totally in love with River Phoenix"

"Yeah, me too" he joked. "Do you want to watch it now?"

"Sure!"

He put the DVD into the player and we settled on the bed, making our way through the bourbon. About half way through the film I was feeling woozy again. Whilst we were watching the film we kept on catching each other's eye, and playing with each other's hands and all I could think of was kissing him again.

As we sat on the bed, with his arm around me, I turned to him, "So, did you really ask me up here just to see your stalker scrap book and watch Van Sant's finest work?"

He put his glass down onto the beside table and leaned towards me, pulling me towards him. This time I wasn't so worried about someone walking in, so I reciprocated.

As we kissed, he gently pushed me back so I was laying down and he shifted his weight on top of me. I felt his hand brush down my side and down my leg, his fingers curling around the back of my knee, hitching it up over his hip. I felt his glorious member pressing against me as things started to heat up.

He broke off the kiss and looked down at me, brushing the hair away from my face, "Feeling better?" he asked.

I nodded dumbly, as he bent down to kiss me again.

A little while later we were curled up under the sheets, watching the rest of the film from where we'd got interrupted.

I lay on his chest and he played with my hair, taking the occasional sip of whisky.

"In answer to your question earlier, no, I didn't just ask to up to see my etchings!" he said, kissing the top of my head.

I laughed. "You're not filming this now, are you?" I said, looking around.

"No, but I have an idea about making a video for the monkeys with you and Jane. What do you think?'

"Yeah, maybe, I guess. I'll have to ask Jane" I pushed myself to look at him, "Oh god, I've not called her. I hope she's alright"

"She'll be fine, Jackson will look after her. And Ben's got the tape so everything will be sorted soon"

"Tape, what tape?" I sat forward.

"The tape. Of Heather on the stage"

"Heather was on the stage? Oh god, did she...?" I put my hands on my head.

He sat up, "I wasn't sure, you can't see much but she was there and then Jane got electrocuted. I gave it to Graupner, he'll probably show it to Marty"

"But Jimmy, she might have tried to KILL Jane! This is serious!"

"We don't know that for sure. Plus I don't think she would have really meant to kill her!"

"Oh, but trying to electrocute her is OK, just because her supposed boyfriend's got the hots for someone else?"

His face went serious. "Lou calm down. I just showed him the tape to show him Heather was there, she may have noticed something was wrong. We can't just jump straight to the conclusion she would try to kill Jane!"

I pulled away from him, pulling the covers around me.

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing definite and I wanted to get you alone for a bit. You were upset, I thought you would want some time out" he said, reaching for me.

He looked at me and I felt myself soften. It wasn't his fault what had happened earlier, plus if there was evidence Heather was on stage at least it would be in the right hands.

I looked down, "Sorry" I said, "I think Bourbon tends to heighten my emotions!"

He gave a slight chuckle and caressed my shoulder. "It's OK. I don't want to think I tried to take advantage of you!"

I returned to my spot on his chest, "Well apparently, I was the one who came on to you, so technically I was the one who took advantage!"

He hugged me, "Good. For a while back there I didn't think Jerad was ever going to let you out of his sight. He's going to kill me if he finds about this!"

I pulled the sheets up tight around me and sat up "Jerad? What's he got to do with this?"

He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, "Jerad's totally crushing on you!"

"No he's not! We're just, well, not friends, but..."

"Lou, do you think he went shopping with you because he wanted a new suit?"

"Yes!"

He laughed, "Lou, he never shuts up about you!"

I slapped my hand on my forehead, not wanting to believe it but began to realise all the pieces were there. And then he must have seen me leave with James. I felt sick. If he did like me, he wouldn't have wanted to see that. There must have been a better way to let him know.

"Oh man! This is too weird! I shouldn't be here!" I wrapped the sheets around me and jumped off the bed, picking up my clothes.

"Lou, Lou, chill! He'll be fine, honestly. He'll get over it!"

"No, you don't understand. This wasn't meant to happen, none of this!" I waved my arms around, then realised I was holding my bra in one hand,

"None of what? You're right, I don't understand!"

"This! We said to each other were weren't going to get involved with the band and now Jerad's just seen me run off with you, Jackson's girlfriend has tried to kill Jane and I'm here with you and, and..." I could feel myself getting hysterical.

I pulled on my clothes as James pulled on his boxers and leapt off the bed.

He put his hands on my arms, "Lou, I think you're right about bourbon heightening your emotions but calm down. I'll talk to Jerad in the morning and smooth it all over"

"Please, don't" I said, brushing him away, "I've already messed things up, it's probably best we're leaving tomorrow anyway"

"What?" he said, trying to look into my eyes, "You're leaving? Just like that? Because of what happened with Jane?"

"No, no! Sam got a call from L.A, we're flying out tomorrow. We're probably going to sign with Sony. It's the end of the tour. The Monkeys are going to go on without us"

He stepped back and ran his hand though his hair, "I thought we would have had more time, jeez. Were you going to say something at all about leaving?"

I shook my head, "I didn't know this was going to happen. Look, it shouldn't have happened, this was a mistake" I rushed passed him and bolted out the door.

Back in the waiting area, Jane looked at me. "Dude, you need to seriously stop drinking bourbon, it turns you into a freak!"

"I know, I have no idea why I got so hysterical. But I don't know, it all felt a bit too much, and I was thinking, I don't know, I can't see things going anywhere with James, I don't want to be like JoJo and we were about to leave anyway and..." I closed my eyes and sighed.

"Dude, everything will be fine. The tour was, well, it was a minor blip. A fun blip, but what happens on the road will probably have to stay on the road" she had a faraway look in her eyes. "It had to end at some point."

"But not like this! Why couldn't have Jerad said something earlier, or James? And why did it have to take someone trying to murder you for it all to kick off? We didn't even get to say goodbye to everyone properly. And now James thinks I'm crazy and your ex is in there and this is so fucked up!"

"Dude, seriously, lay off the bourbon. Let's just concentrate on signing this contract. I'm going to miss the monkeys too, but life has got to go on"

I smiled at her, She held up her fist and we bumped knuckles.

Sam came running in, "Girls, I'm so sorry I'm late! Have you signed anything yet?"

"No" I said, wafting the contract at him, "We thought we'd might like our manager to be here before we did"

He beamed and straightened his bootlace tie, "Let's do this!" he said, marching into the board room.

Before we went in, Jane grabbed my arm "Are you going to be ok?" she asked.

"Yeah, there's just a lot of drama at the moment. I'll be fine. You?"

"Yeah, I guess. I've not heard from Jackson yet..."

"Oh my gosh, I totally forgot to ask you! And this whole Josh thing, I'm the worst friend!"

She laughed, "You're not, but you are slightly unhinged at the moment! Let's sign and I'll fill you in!"

**I promise the Monkeys will be back soon, but there's other business we should attend first, like what does Josh want out of this? Does he know about Jackson? ;)**

**Thank you so much for your reviews, it means a lot xxx**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you to everyone who reviews! I try to reply whenever I can! Here's the next instalment, as usual any resemblance to persons living or dead is coincidental! **

CHAPTER 13  
>JANE'S POV<p>

The next few days were filled with visits to Ikea, various warehouse outlets, constant trips to Starbucks, and the occasional celebrity spots in West Hollywood. Sony had certainly held up their end of the bargain when it came to our new 'digs'.

Our house was at the foot of the hills, but high enough that we had the most gorgeous view of the city. We had all the mod-cons, as it were, private parking, a mini-studio, we even had a pool. Lou and I had been given a week to get ourselves acquainted with the city, buy the odd bit of furniture and generally just get ourselves sorted.

We both had time to sit and write a few more songs; this in-house studio was a great help. Lou was in there constantly taking opportunity of the sound-proof walls, and I had the feeling it helped her to take a little aggression out. I had also written a few choice songs, but those were certainly not going to be recorded!

We were having fun, everything to seemed to be working out for us. We now lived in a gorgeous place, had the contract, (survived nearly getting killed) but yet something just didn't feel right. I knew Lou felt it too, but we hadn't discussed it. It was all just a little too good to be true...

It was a few days after the Sony meeting when Lou and I were returning from yet another Starbucks mission. My phone beeped, a text from Josh. Well, it's not like I wasn't expecting it. To be honest I felt guilty for not calling him back the other day.

Josh: Hey, we need to talk. Dinner tonight? Say 8pm?

Jane: Will you tell me everything?

Josh: Of course.

Jane: Fine. Lou and I will see you there.

Now all I had to do was convince Lou to play chaperone.

We arrived at the restaurant fashionably late, as in we took hours choosing my outfit. I was nervous as hell meeting Josh properly again, and there was no way I was going to do it on my own. After a million dress changes we had settled on a LBD for me, and Lou (who I had to bribe to come with me) was in her usual vintage dress. As we stepped into the restaurant lobby I scanned the place as quickly as I could, desperate to see him before he saw me - I needed to assess the situation first. It was nearly a year since I had last seen him, outside of the boardroom. I tried to calm my heart that was starting to beat faster, and ignore the hot flushes. Calm down, I chided myself. _It__'__s__only__dinner._Then I saw him. Sat at a table in the corner of the room, smiling and laughing with a guy who had his back to me. They were swigging Peroni's, the gleam from the bottles reflecting off Josh's geeky glasses. I used to love those glasses. A brief image of Jackson in the same pair of glasses flashed before my eyes. I snapped awake again as the other guy turned his head to speak to the waitress. Shit! Mark! I turned and pulled Lou to the other side of the lobby.

"Ow!" She rubbed her arm, "What's the deal?"

"Mark. Ronson. Sat with Josh." I was nearly out of breath now, this was getting ridiculous. Lou's eyes widened and pulled me into the washroom.

"What the hell is going on?" She demanded, slamming down her makeup bag and rifling through it. "Aha" Lou then produced her usual red lipstick. "How can we have any _more_drama in our lives?" After one layer she smacked her lips at her reflection. "Why the hell is Mark here? Are they trying to relive some sort of 'blast from the past' situation or something? We're going to need to hire a psychic soon, I'm going to have a friggin' heart attack with all these surprises."

"Arrggghh! I don't know! This is all too much, I feel like there's something we're just not getting! Maybe it's innocent, and Mark just happens to be in town? Oh god, I wish I never agreed to this" I was starting to get hot and flustered again when Lou splashed water in my face.

"Get a grip, we've had far worse embarrassing/difficult situations than this. She shuddered, I knew she was thinking about James. "Come on, we're really late now. Lets do this." She swung her bag over her shoulder and strutted out towards the restaurant.

It turned out _I_was the one being ridiculous. An hour later we were having a great time. It turned out it _was_all innocent. Mark was staying in the same hotel as Josh, and they had bumped into each other earlier on the way to the restaurant. I wondered why Mark was heading to a restaurant on his own, when I realised he may have blown someone off to hang with us. He seemed to be having a pretty good time with Lou, and they had _definitely_had a good time last they saw each other! They were now engrossed discussing possible covers we could do, the record company had suggested we come up with a few, so they could understand our sound better. I had totally relaxed now and was having a great time catching up with Josh. We spoke about his dog, his family, his friends. We were sitting close to each other, but it wasn't weird, I felt comfortable, I missed him. After all this time it felt normal again.

Eventually we had round to the whole Sony situation. He was back in LA, setting up his own production company, with the help of Peter Goldman, and this is where Lou and I came in.

"I want something different, you know? You know how I've struggled to get my music out there, it's not for everyone. I want a label that _does_cater for everyone. And you my dears, are a niche, that I'd like to promote. I think we'll work well together."

"Here's to that" We raised our glasses and cheered.

Several cocktails later, we were all feeling a little woozy, when I decided to call it a night.

"Hey, you guys wanna go on somewhere? How about a casino?" Mark helped Lou on with her jacket and raised his eyebrows at her. She looked at me.

"You guys go", I said trying to stifle a yawn, "I'm pretty tired. Text me if you're going to be late" I joked with Lou. "Yes, mum" she rolled her eyes at me as she left with Mark.

Josh and I stood there, he looked at me me a little shyly, with his hands in his pockets. "Can I walk you home miss?" He said holding out his arm.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "A totally innocent walk home?"

"I promise to not sexually molest you" He said, with hand on heart. "At least, I'll try very hard, given that you are looking ravishing this evening."

I smiled and took his arm, "That would be lovely, thank you."

We headed out arm in arm, straight into a wall of flashing lights, and paps shouting Josh's name. And in that split second I remembered why we had split up, and why I would never date a celebrity again.

_One year earlier..._

_I could feel my heartbeat and the blood pumping through my veins. My palms were sweaty, Lou grabbed my hand and I tried to control my breathing. The giant oak doors opened, and in walked the judge, followed by the seemingly endless teams of lawyers. I scanned their blank faces, looking for a sign, please say guilty, please say guilty._

_My mind clouded over until i heard the judge call the court to order. "Miss Caroline Stenna, please stand and face the court."_

_I opened my eyes to find Lou fanning my face , "Dude, you OK? Can you hear me?" She was sat on the floor in front of me, in the hall, outside the courtroom. My lawyer's assistant, Sandy, sat on my left, holding her files, and watching me with a concerned expression._

_"What?" Ow, my head hurt, I reached up my hand, yep, a massive bump. "Oh god, did I faint again? What happened? Where's Josh?"_

_"Listen, Jane. I'm sorry, there's not an easy way to say this. They ruled 'not guilty'." Sandy held my hand._

_My heart stopped._

_"But rest assured, we're going to fight this. She can't get away with what shes done. Her blogs alone are public, for a start. "_

_"This is ridiculous!" I looked up and saw Josh at the other end of the hallway,. He was practically shouting at our senior lawyers, raising his arms in frustration._

_This was incredible. Our entire relationship had been ridiculed and torn apart by Caroline Stenna. Except this jury couldn't see it. I felt myself start to cry in frustration. I couldn't believe it. I really thought that this would be the end. I'd had enough of the phone calls in the middle of the night, her following us in the street, the daily blogs, handing out our address, and phone numbers. I couldn't take this anymore. I looked up at Josh, he froze and looked back at me, oblivious to the lawyers commotion surrounding him. And I knew that was the end. We couldn't go on anymore, it had become too hard. I knew that was the end for us.  
><em>

BEN J'S P.O.V

We bundled off stage and raced for the dressing rooms in the basement. Man, these tours were getting crazy. Hey, I'm not complaining, I'm loving the attention we get from fans, but getting into our hotel? Grabbing us when we're still on stage? Too much. A man needs his space.

I followed the boys into our room "Ha ha!" Ben and Jerad were in hysterics, pointing at the mirrors. Someone had written 'I LOVE JACKSON FOREVER' across the mirror in pink lipstick.

"Nice, colour you've got there, Ben!" I called, tossing my drumsticks at him. "NO way man!" He ducked as they whizzed past his head. "Wasn't me, I swear!" Jackson rolled his eyes at him. We all knew Ben did it. He couldn't help himself.

I collapsed on the sofa next to Jerad, Ben flopped on the floor and Jackson occupied himself with his ukulele. Uncle handed out the beers.

"Hey man, that was a crazy-ass crowd tonight"

"Ha, I feel sorry for the boys in The Kissing Club, they had no idea what was coming when they joined us!"

I saw Jackson frown at this. He was such a sap these days, any reference to the absence of the girls made him look like a puppy dog or something. But hey, I won't complain too much. With both him and Jerad moping, (who wouldn't admit it, but clearly missed Lou being around) it had made for a few epic nights, with beer, tequila and many an improv blues song that our friends, the Kitten ladies should never have to hear, and if they did, I could never look them in the eye.

"Did you see that crazy chick at the front?" Ben sat up suddenly, spilling his beer everywhere. "She was nuts! It was sweet that she knew all the words and everything, but, she was staring me in the eye, like, into my soul or something" He finished dramatically.

I remembered her "The chick in orange?"

"Yeah, totally freaked me out. She kept trying to hand something to me, I guess something to sign. Maybe the security guy got it. "

"Maybe it's your neighbour's head or something" Jerad helpfully chimed in.

We stayed in the dressing room for another beer or two, we were here for another night, and had cut back on the crazy partying for a while, so it was nice to chill for a change.

Jackson was leading another improv song when someone knocked at the door. I crossed the room and opened it, No one was in the hallway, had a fan got backstage? Wrong room? Weird. I was about the shut the door when I noticed a hat on the floor, upside down with a notebook in it. I picked it up, I recognised it from somewhere.

"Hey! Where did you find my hat?" Jackson called out.

"Someone just left it at the door". I handed him the hat and flicked through the notebook.

"Woah, Jackson, this is crazy. It's like a story about you, and us, and this...girl. She's written chapters and everything!"

"No way!" Ben laughed, "Hand it here!"

"Dude, that's so weird". Jackson was standing in the middle of the room, spinning his hat. "I left the hat locked down here whilst we were on stage. How did someone get it? Someone must have been in here!"

"I told you man! I didn't do the mirror thing, check with security, it's their problem, it's not like it's a bomb. At least it's just a little story - AND she gave the hat back." He carried on reading the notebook." Ha ha! You get her pregnant and everything!"

Jackson grabbed the book "What the...?" he said, flicking through it.

"Man, what have you been up to?" laughed Uncle. "Did you just make someone's fairytale come true?"

Jackson stood silently as he sped read the book. I went over "So, what happens after you knock her up? Do you become the dutiful baby daddy or does she not tell you, only to bump into years later with your spawn?"

Jackson looked at me square in the eye. "She kills Jane"

**Who left the chilling story for the Monkeys? And will it come true? There's much, much more to come, and as ever, please review and let me know what you think!**


	14. Chapter 14

**All similarities to any real persons are purely coincidental ;)**

CHAPTER 14

LOU'S POV

"Coming, coming!" I ran to the door of the apartment, pulling a night gown around me. Someone was incessantly ringing the door bell at an ungodly hour.

Opening the door I saw it was a delivery man. "Package for you. Sign here please" I scribbled something resembling my signature and pulled the giant package into the hallway. Unfortunately, it wasn't for me.

"JANE! YOU'VE GOT A PACKAGE! AND IF YOU DON'T OPEN IT RIGHT NOW I WILL!" I tore a little bit of packing paper from the edge, "Ooops, already am!"

Jane came skidding into the lounge in her PJs and leapt upon the package. I sank onto the sofa, "Who's it from?" I asked.

She shrugged as she excitedly tore into the paper to reveal a guitar case. "Careful" I said, before she opened it, "there could be snakes inside!"

She raised her eyebrows and opened the case to reveal a gorgeous 27 deluxe Gibson dobro guitar. .

I stifled a scream as she gently lifted it out of the case "OH. MY. GOD!"

Jane looked as if she could hardly believe her eyes. "Dude, there's like only 15 of these ever made! Who would send you this? Why didn't they send me one?"

She nodded silently as she examined it. "There's a note in the case" I said, pulling it out and handing it to her. She rested the guitar on her lap as I gazed at it. "It's soooo beautiful!" I murmured.

She let out a shriek, "It's from Jackson!"

I shrieked, "What? Let me see!" she handed me the note and gingerly ran her fingers up and down the fretboard.

_J,_

_This is Annabelle's sister, Isabelle. She's a real southern dame so make sure you treat her right and don't let her explode on you like the last one!_

_Miss you_

_J-Action_

_x_

I was speechless. "Wow. Just, wow!"

Jane gave me a big grin, "We can use it for some of the new stuff. It'll be perfect!"

"Dude, Jackson has sent you one of the rarest guitars in the world. The guy is totally in love with you!"

She laughed, "I doubt that, he's just a nice guy who was probably as upset as I was to see a decent guitar go up in flames!"

I reached forward, "Can I touch it?"

She pulled it back, "Uh-uh, no way! No one is coming near this baby!" She jumped up and ran toward the studio.

"Please?" I said, scooting after her, "Pretty please? I'll be real careful!" I said in a whiny child's voice.

She laughed and shook her head as she sat down in the studio and plugged it in. She was beaming, but whether it was from the guitar or the fact Jackson had been in contact, I couldn't say. Probably both!

I leant in the doorway, "So, are you going to call him now? Y'know, just to say thanks for the little gift that must have cost thousands of dollars and oh, by the way how about a bunk up when you're next in town?"

"I will call him. But not yet, I want to play on my new toy first!"

Later that day I'd managed to wrestle Jane away from Isabella and convince her to come for a walk with me to Starbucks. She had got me hooked on their vanilla lattes so I insisted she come with me for a fix.

"Soooooooo" I said, grabbing a table outside, "Are you going to tell Josh that another guy is so madly in love with you he's bought you the musical equivalent of an engagement ring?"

She sipped her coffee and I could tell she was giving me a withering look from underneath her sunglasses.

"It's not like that! But, no, I probably won't since you ask. I'll just tell him I have a secret admirer!"

"I bet Josh would get well jealous. Have you filled him in on everything that happened with Jackson?"

She shook her head, "No. It's not really his business, is it? Besides, it was nothing..."

"Nothing?" I practically shouted, "That guitar is not a 'nothing'! I'm half expecting him to turn up with a dozen red roses in a tux and get down on bended knee!"

Jane hunched her shoulders and wrapped her fingers around her mug, "It is awesome. I don't know, maybe?" she gave a little smile.

"Is this the first you've heard from Jackson?" I know she would have told me already if Jackson had gotten in touch since we'd left the monkeys, but I just wanted to check.

She nodded "Not heard anything. No email, not even a tweet. Marty had been on contact to see how I was after the accident and to say there wasn't any evidence to arrest Heather, but that's it"

"Well, he's certainly got your attention now. Why don't you ring him now?" I said mischievously, fishing her phone out of her handbag.

She swiped it back, "Not yet, I'll make him sweat!" she said, smiling before she took another swig.

After our coffee stop we spent a few more hours in the studio before getting ready to meet Josh and Mark for dinner. Since we'd been in LA we'd been hanging out with them pretty much every other night. Josh had a few weeks off before going on tour and was taking an active interest into how we were getting on.

It was nice to hang out with Mark again, as much as I fancied him though I couldn't see us getting beyond being friends. He was now in a serious relationship and I was happy to see him happy. We had got a bit flirty when we went to the casino but I had stopped him when it looked like we were going to kiss: I know he didn't want to be that type of guy who would easily cheat on his girlfriend, and I didn't want to be that kind of girl who would help a guy cheat on his girlfriend.

And besides, I was thinking it was best to put boys to one side and get on with the band - although we all know how that hadn't quite worked out last time!

Whilst Jane was getting ready I opened my laptop to quickly check my emails. There was one flagged as urgent from Sam:

**From: **

**To: **

**Subject: TEXAS IS A GO!**

**KITTENS!**

**Have just got confirmation for billing for SXSW (I know, I know, I am the best manager ever!) 2 sets for two nights, one on closing night of festival - pretty big deal ladies!**

**Need to arrange photo shoot for publicity materials, stuff we have at the moment is out of date. Make sure you're free tomorrow, we can do it at yours (try and tidy up too, yeah?)**

**Will call in the am so for god's sake don't go out on the lash again tonight**

**Big Love**

**S**

I let out a little woop as another email appeared in my inbox:

**From: Teddy_**

**To: **

**Subject: You are a hard kitten to find!**

**Lou Lou**

**Where are you?**

**Not seen/heard since bourbon-induced freak out, assume all is well?**

**Nearly finished on the Monkey's doc, you and Jane look great in it. Your presence is greatly missed. The only way we can keep our testosterone in balance is by dueling through the ages: last night it was Greco-Roman wrestling, Johnson is having a hell of a time getting oil out of his drum skins.**

**Heard on the grapevine you are off to Texas, still up for the video? Brief attached**

**Take care**

**Teddy**

I chewed on my nails as I contemplated my reply. I was still embarrassed about the way I had left things with James, but hopefully the video would go some way to making me seem less of a freak.

Jane came out of her room ready to go. On the way to the restaurant I filled her in on the emails, and the outline of the video.

"Ha ha, so we'd be like outlaws who have taken the Monkeys hostage?" she said in the back of the cab.

"Yeah, and Jackson and Jerad are like private detectives or something on the hunt for us. It sounds hilarious"

"Count me in. That way I can thank Jackson in person"

She winked and we high fived. "Amen to dat!" I said.

We had someone managed to miss any paps hanging around outside, which was a relief. I knew it would make Jane on edge so was glad we could have a relaxed evening. We were slightly ahead of Mark and Josh so sat down at our table before them.

Whilst we glanced over the menus, we were approached by a waiter. "Excuse me, Miss?" he said to Jane, "This was left for you at the bar" he said, handing her package.

"Ooo!" I said, leaning over the table, "I wonder if it's another gift from Jackson?"

She shrugged as ripped open the envelope. Inside was a small book.

"What the hell is that? Does it say who it's from?" I asked as she flicked through.

"No, but it's some kind of story. About Jackson it looks like"

"Whuh? That's weird"

Jane looked around the restaurant. "It looks like fan fiction!"

I laughed out loud and grabbed it off her "That's hilarious. What happens?"

"No idea. Will make for interesting bedtime reading!" she grabbed it back and shoved it into her bag as Josh and Mark arrived.

**Who's sending the fan fiction? Why won't Jane get in contact with Jackson? Stay tuned to find out...**

**Thank you for reading ;) I love to read your reviews, good OR bad ;)Let me know!**


	15. Chapter 15

**First off - hello to all the new followers of this story! I hope you are enjoying the adventures of the Kittens and the Monkeys.**

**As usual any resemblance to person's living or dead is coincidental! **

**Btw, Happy Christmas, if you're all good I might give you an early present and post another chapter tomorrow ;-p**

CHAPTER 15  
>SAM'S POV<p>

"Can somebody please open that goddamn door! How many times do I have to ask? Are we finished with makeup yet?" Jeez, it's like 100 degrees in here. This is crazy - Sony sends about 30 people for a two hour shoot, two trucks outside, caterers, make-up artists, the works. This must have cost a bomb! Hey, I'm not knocking it, this little breakfast feast they've set up is pretty sweet, and the lights look like some sort of UFO landed in here or something, they would have easily cost five figures. Things were looking up, we were finally on our way.

It takes about 30 minutes just to get to one end of the apartment to the other. The amount of equipment they've brought here is ridiculous, just as well the studio had forked out for a decent size apartment.

It was worth it though, the girls were looking hot, and Lou, feisty as ever, had managed to negotiate the direction of the shoot, and had managed to convince Sony they should be shot in Vintage style. I looked over at the girls, who were now being put into position. Both had their hair all curly and stuff, and the normal bright red lipstick. I couldn't help but feel proud of them, my girls. It's pretty amazing what they've managed in just a few months. We've got quite a fanbase going, the label have obviously picked them up, and we've managed to get a spot at the Texas Music Festival! 'Rock on!' as Jane would say.

"Hey guys! It's still like 90 degrees in here! Am I invisible to you or something? Seriously, lets get those windows open, and can someone wedge the front door open before we all keel over?"

My phone started ringing, I knew it was dad before i looked at the screen. Geez, once the Kittens have made it, maybe he'll leave me alone? "Dad? I'll call you back in one minute".

"TOUCH THEM AND DIE!"

I turned to see Lou playing tug of war with her drumsticks and some spotty kid who must have been here to make there tea, or something. Not again. I'd never known any musicians as protective over their instruments.

"Lou! Play nice". I received one of her infamous dirty looks as she retrieved her drumsticks from the runner kid, who looked like he was gonna pee himself or something.

"I gotta make a call - I'll be back in 10. Be good."

JANE'S POV

"I don't think I can it hold this any longer" Lou whispered through gritted teeth. She was stood holding her drumsticks perched against a chair, with her head cocked to the side. I was sat beside her, my guitar balanced against my leg, sweltering under the lights.

"I can't feel arse any more" I whispered back at her, still trying to smile mysteriously at the camera.

"OK girls, you can rest for a minute, gotta change lenses" our new sexy photographer told us. Lou and I had been ogling at him all morning. He was maybe 40-ish, salt and pepper hair, with a bit of a rugged five o'clock shadow going on. Didn't hurt he had biceps the size of my thighs, either. I raised my eyebrows at Lou, and she winked in appreciation.

Checking out his arms just reminded me of Jackson though. I still hadn't called to say thank you for the guitar, I was still shocked he sent it in the first place; I couldn't put it into words. I mean, there's only 15 of them in the world! How much did that thing cost? More importantly, what did it mean? The longer I left getting in touch with him, the longer I felt maybe he was just feeling guilty, for requesting the The Kissing Club tour with them rather than us? He never did get a chance to explain that one...

I jumped up. "I'll be back in a minute!" I ran and grabbed Isabella from the studio and sat back down into position.

I grinned at Lou. "Now_this_will be my thank you!" I twisted Isabella round to catch the light_,_and made sure that she was at the front of the next picture.

Lou rolled her eyes at me; "I still think you should just _call__him._"

"I can't. I know it's stupid, I think I need _not_to think about him right now. There're still a few weeks before we'll see the boys again. Who knows what will happen Besides, Maybe I'll think about it if you email _Teddy..._?"

"Shhh! Sexy photogs back!" She cut me off. Hmmm - I'll have to bring up this conversation later, I was definitely not letting that one go!

Sexy photographer turned towards us with a Hollywood smile. "OK girls, I want to try something new".

JOSH'S POV

The second the gate opened Sweeney bolted. This dog will definitely get me into trouble one day, he better not show me up, he seems to always be like this when we're back in LA. This will be the first time he sees Jane in at least a year and a half - I wonder if he'll recognise her? I know I had trouble forgetting her.

I chased after him down the path towards what I assume was the girls' new place. He had just run through the open front door when i heard a scream, a crash and "Who the hell brought a dog here?"

I rushed in through the front door and managed to grab Sweeney by his back legs, before he got any further. He had obviously just crashed into the first person he saw, a young girl with dyed blonde hair, who was just picking herself up from her head on collision with him. Sweeney was trying to paw at her.

She handed him to me, blushed a little, and just stared back at me like a frightened rabbit. Bless, I'd obviously embarrassed her.

"Thanks, sorry he ate his own weetabix AND mine this morning, this little guy's a little feisty today!"

I put on my stupid voice hoping it would chill this kid out, but she just kept staring. "So uh, I'll just go and see how the shoot's going if that's OK?" She nodded solemnly back at me. Wow, this kid was creepy!

I held Sweeney in my arms to avoid any more trouble, as I navigated my way through the hallway into the open plan lounge area. It was pretty hot in there, I guess that's usual, especially with the array of professional equipment they had going on. I have no idea why the shoot was happening here, though. I didn't think Jane would have been comfortable with that, having all these strangers in their home, but then, I hadn't spoken to her in a while. Who knew what she was comfortable with now?

I looked through the crowd of people and saw Jane and Lou, sat under the lights, talking to who I assume was the photographer. Jane looked radiant. She was sat cradling what looked like a pretty good-looking new guitar: her long hair fell over her shoulders like a halo and her smile made my heart stop momentarily. I had to admit to myself that my interest in getting the Kittens signed wasn't purely unselfish. I got to help the girls follow their dreams, help them out, and I got to be near Jane again.

She looked up, caught my eye and beamed at me. Catching me by surprise, I raised my hand to wave goofily at her, as I did I smacked into the same girl I had earlier, who happened to be walking behind me, carrying a tray full of drinks that I had just sent flying into the air. I cringed as the tray hit the floor, making a loud crash, and instantly silencing the room. Oh god. Suddenly a million people crowded round, trying to help clear the mess up. I looked down to see the girl bright red, and clearly on the verge of tears.

"Hey, I'm so sorry, that was totally my fault! Let me clear this up". I held my hand out to her. I felt awful, the poor thing looked so scared.

She looked up at me, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"No, I'm sorry, I'm _so_sorry." She was almost pleading with me. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't be here, I'm sorry, I'm sorry"

She stood up suddenly, and before I could stop her she ran through the door, and disappeared.

"Woah, you OK Josh? Sorry, didn't see you come in" I turned to say hi to Sam, who was patting me on the back, like we were old chums. He was always a little over friendly, but harmless enough.

"Hey, I feel just awful, I've managed to cause a mess and make a young girl cry, I hope she's OK? I was walking Sweeney, so thought I'd pop in and see how it's going."

"Don't you worry Josh, there's loads of people helping out round here, The project manager didn't even know her name, so think she was just an intern or something. Don't you worry - no harm done! Come one, lets see how our girls are doing"

I hugged the girls hello. Lou playfully punched me on the arm, "J Gro! That was quite an entrance. Are you trying to help our career or destroy it?"

I shrugged. "What can I say, I have terrible luck with women. I make the girls cry, and runaway" Jane looked up and caught my eye. Whoops. Awkward. "Er, I er...sorry"

"Josh," Lou interrupted, saving the day, as always. "Are you aware that you're covered in Orange Juice? Give me Sweeney, you need to sort yourself out before you scare any more girls away!"

I handed her the dog, as Jane grabbed my arm. "Hey, the make up artists are using the main bathroom. Use mine, last door on the left".

"Thanks," I smiled at her.

I had to walk through her bedroom to get there, as I opened the door, the smell of her perfume hit me, and a flood of memories came back to me. I stood there for a moment and let it wash over me. I recognised the dress hanging on the rail, she'd worn it to one of my shows, I remembered her waiting patiently in the wings, as always. As I wandered to the bathroom I was pleased to see she still used the jewellery box I had bought her, sat on top of the dresser. There was a note next to it.

I didn't mean to, but I couldn't help but read it. From someone called 'J-Action' saying they missed her. It suddenly dawned on me that just because we weren't together anymore, didn't mean she wasn't dating. I hadn't wanted to think about that, but here it was. Staring me in the face. I just assumed she was too busy nowadays. Who was it? A friend? A boyfriend? A casual thing?

I felt a pang of jealousy as I put the note back down where I found it. I looked at my reflection in the mirror It suddenly hit me. I couldn't let her go, not again. I knew what i was doing was right. We were meant to be together. Together forever.

**Hmmm, is Josh going to come between Jane and Jackson? Things start to get a bit scary in the next chapter so hold on tight! Please please review, I take all comments on board and would love to know what you think!**

**BT xox**

BT


	16. Chapter 16

**Happy New Year everyone! How y'all had a cool yule! **

**I got a bit carried away with this chapter - hope you like it ;-p**

CHAPTER 16

LOU'S POV

The lighting guys were packing away the equipment when Fabrizio the photographer called us over to his computer.

"I wanted to show you lovely ladies how beautiful you look" he said, putting an arm around us both.

"O. M. Ben. G!" I said, putting a hand to my mouth. We looked incredible. The lighting had evened out our skin so that our eyes and mouths stood out. I was leant on a chair behind Jane. looking like Bettie Page with my drumsticks to my lips. Jane was perched on a chair in front of me, leaning towards the camera as if she was about to stand with Isabelle on her lap.

Fabrizio leant forward to make a few clicks, "We can add a few filters if you want, to make it pop even more" he said as he scrolled through the different filters to enhance the image.

"What about the other ones?" asked Jane, twisting her hair around in her hand, like she did when she was nervous.

"Ah, I was saving them for last!" Fab said with a flourish. He clicked on another folder and a range of images filled the screen. We both gave a little squeak. "I think THIS is the one you should use" he said. Fab had us lying on our backs next to each other with our heads to the camera, my legs raised at a 90 degree angle against the wall ala a 1950s pin up, drumsticks held above my head. Jane was lying back with one leg bent. Isabelle was across her stomach and her right arm was bent so you could see her half of her tattoo.

We looked at each other. "What do you think?" I asked her.

"Well, they're certainly racy, but...I don't know, too racy perhaps?"

There was a cough behind us, and we turned around to see Josh standing behind us. "That one, definitely that one" he said, nodding towards the screen.

"The handsome man talks sense. You should listen to him!" said Fab, packing up his stuff. "Ladies, I have to dash but it was so wonderful to meet you. You were FABULOUS!" giving us both an air-kiss on both cheeks. Well, I guess that answered my question.

The last of the Sony people said their goodbyes and left the apartment, as well as a fair bit of clearing up to do. I pulled out some bin bags and started putting rubbish into bags whilst Jane starting moving furniture bag, Sweeney sniffing at her heels.

"Since you're all dressed up, I was thinking maybe we could go get dinner?" said Josh, picking up some stray glasses and handing them to Jane so he could move the sofa for her.

"Oooh, sounds nice!" I said, walking over, "Whereabouts?"

Josh looked quickly at Jane, "I, err, was kinda thinking just the two of us...?" Jane raised an eyebrow at me.

"Oh, well it looks like Sweeney and I have ourselves our hot date, don't we Sweens?" I said, bending down to nuzzle Sweeney's face.

"If you could sit Sweeney that would be awesome! If you don't mind...?"

"Does he like Zombie films?" I asked, standing back up.

Josh laughed. "Yeah, loves them!"

"Great" I said, thrusting the bin bags into his hands, "Well, you make the place nice and me and Sweens here will walk to the video shop to rent out some classics and get some salty snacks!"

He chuckled as he started to pick up some of the detritus lying around.

"You know, I don't think you're going to need much more food, the caterers left us enough to feed the monkeys!" said Jane from the kitchen, surveying the platters of food which had also been left behind. We smiled at each other over our private joke.

I motioned to her to follow me into my bedroom. She furrowed her brow as she sat down on my bed and admired the pin up posters I had hung around my room. "What's up? Do you need help picking an outfit?"

I stuck my head around the door of my bathroom as I got changed out of the photoshoot clothes, "You know why I pulled you in here! Grobocop is taking you out - withOUT me!"

Jane leant back on her elbows, "Yeah, so?"

I came out in my red firebird adidas tracksuit bottoms and vintage tee I had 'somehow' acquired from Jane's collection. She frowned again as she recognised it but must have decided to let it go.

"So, there's the little detail of the fact that you still haven't called Jackson to say thank you for the guitar and now you and Josh are going out when YOU are looking like that!" I said, pointing at the fitted dress she was wearing that left little to the imagination.

"What, this old thing?" she laughed, pinching the fabric, "This is nothing. Dinner will be nothing!"

I pulled my battered converse out of my closet, "20 dollars he makes a move" I said, pulling them on.

"30 he doesn't, and you let me have your Lee Oskar harmonica. The metal one, not the plastic one"

I marched over to the bed and grabbed her hand, "Deal" I said. She knew how much I loved my harmonica, and I was willing to bet it to prove I was right.

I walked out of the living room to find Josh wandering around with a broom. Bless.

"Have you got Sweeney's lead?" I asked, and he pointed to the dining table.

"I'll be back in five mins, I want this place to be spotless when I get back!" I said, picking up Sweeney and my keys.

I heard Josh call to Jane as I was leaving, asking her where she wanted to go tonight. I smiled to myself as I closed the door behind me. Much as I liked Jackson (when he wasn't irritating me by continually playing the clown), I thought it wouldn't do her much harm to have a little fun in the meantime, just as long as Josh realised that's all it would be.

Sweeney and I wandered down the hill to the cool video store that was at the bottom of our street. As I was perusing the shelves and piling up DVDs and sweets on the counter I felt my phone vibrate.

"GRAUPNER?" I practically screeched, "You old devil! How are you?"

I heard Ben G's deep throaty laugh on the other end of the phone, "I'm good thanks Lou Lou Bear, you good?"

"Ah you know, bit of this, bit of that. We had a photoshoot today, that was a bit weird"

"Yeah, they can be a bit odd. Listen, are you with Jane at the moment?"

"No, she's back at the flat. I'm just looking for some films to rent, she's leaving me on my own tonight. Do you think 'Zombie Strippers 3' is worth a watch?"

"It's good, but not as good as number 2. Anyway, is Jane, umm, OK? Jackson's a bit put out at the moment, it's just so unlike her..."

I shifted the phone to my other ear and looked out the window to make sure Sweeney was OK, "Yeah, she's fine. What do you mean? Is this cos of the guitar? I told her to ring him!"  
>Ben sighed. "I don't know if a phonecall would have made it any better, but if she didn't like it she could have at least returned it to Jackson. I thought you would have at least tried to talk some sense into her"<p>

I stopped in my tracks, "Graupner, what in the holy hell are you talking about? She bloody loves that guitar, I think she sleeps with it so I don't get hold of it!"

There was a pause, and I could hear another voice in the background asking Ben something. "She says she's still got it...Lou, is that right? Jane still has the guitar Jackson sent?"

"Err, yeah!"

The sound was muffled again as Ben said something to the voice, who I thought must have been Jackson. "Lou, I'm just going to come right out and ask, why did she send that shitty email? Has something happened?"

"Huh? Buddy, you're losing me. What email? Why do you want to know about the guitar?"

"The email Jane sent Jackson, well, emails. About not contacting her and how she's sold the guitar and well, some other unpleasant stuff"

"Huh? Unpleasant stuff? Jane can't swear in emails, she self censors everything! Plus she didn't tell me about sending any emails, I've been bugging her to contact as J and far as I know she hasn't!"

"She may not have told you?"

"VERY unlikely"

"Look, could you just talk her? Maybe he read them in the way it wasn't intended or something, I dunno. We just don't want things to be awkward when we hit Texas, yeah?"

"Yeah, I'll talk to her but if you don't mind me saying you're sounding absolutely bat shit crazy to me at the moment! Texas is going to be fine, dude, chill! And she def has not sold Isabelle - in fact keep an eye out for our new pics!"

"Cheers Lou Lou Bear. I'll call you again soon, take it easy" he said, before adding "Hang on". I could hear he was trying to cover up the mouthpiece whilst he was talking to someone.

"Err, Ben? I know Jackson's there!"

He came back on, still talking to Jackson, "Really? You're sure you want me to tell her?"

"Tell me what?" I demanded impatiently.

"Could you get Jane to listen to one of our songs? Like, could you sit her down and make her listen to LDF? Jackson wants her to listen to it."

"Yeah, sure but why? Can't he just ring her and, I don't know, TELL her how he feels?"

He laughed again, "He's a fool in love, why would he do something simple like that? He did write it for her!"

"Yeah, yeah, whateves Graupner!"

He chuckled a "Take it easy" before hanging up. What is it with the Yanks and not saying goodbye?

I paid for my DVDs and sweet treats and made my way back up to the house. What the hell was Ben G on about? I'd heard the Monkeys play LDF a few times, but they must have written that ages before they'd met us. And what was the whole thing about the emails?

Jane and Josh were leaving as I arrived home. Josh patted Sweeney on the head as we walked in. "Would you mind taking him for another walk about 11pm? We won't be back late, I'll pick him up before he falls asleep"

"Yeah, no probs" I said, eyeing Jane. She gave me a "what's up?" look. "Um, you guys have fun. Don't stay out too late"

She silently mouthed "Are you OK?" and I nodded. "I'll be up when you get back, have fun"

I settled down in front of the TV to begin my zombie marathon, but my mind kept on drifting back to the conversation with Ben G. Aside from the weirdness my heart ached when I thought about how much I missed the monkeys. And James. And Jerad. I pulled my knees up to my chest and tried not to feel sad. Everything was going great but something was missing. Sweeney seemed to sense my shift in mood and put a paw on my arm. I giggled and ruffled his head, "Oh Sweens, you know how to cheer me up! Do you have a girlfriend?"

Suddenly, I heard a crash behind me. Sweeney dived off the sofa and started barking. I leapt up "Hello?" I croaked.

Silence. The ground floor of the house was open plan and the light switch was on the other side of the room. I took a tentative step forward towards the kitchen. Maybe a glass had fallen off the shelf? I took another step, and could see glittering fragments of glass on the floor in front of me. Sweeney barked again as a brick came flying through the window, I threw my arms up to cover my face from the shattering glass. I staggered backwards, and felt blood running down my arms. There was a pounding at the door. I had to get out of there quick.

I sprinted for the balcony - it wasn't going to be safe going through the main door. Sweeney followed me as another brick came flying through and the hammering on the door continued. I pulled on the door to the balcony - shit! It was locked! The only way out was through the window next to it. Sweeney was going crazy as I picked him up and put him on the window sill. He jumped down and I pulled myself up. At that moment there was another crash, and what sounded like footsteps. Shit - they'd gotten in! I jumped onto the balcony and managed to dive out of the way as another brick came soaring over my head. I scrambled to the darkest part of the balcony which overhung into the garden, in the hope whoever it was wouldn't see me. I was going to have to jump into the pitch black of the garden and somehow make it out from under the house.

Glancing over the edge I looked for a way to get Sweeney down there too. I picked him up and crouched in the corner, there was a gap I could put him through where he would land on part of the shrubbery, "Sorry little guy" I whispered as I put him into the gap in the surround. Luckily he seemed to instinctively know what to do and jumped into the bushes, and I could just see his tail wagging int the moonlight. Knowing I wouldn't have much time I vaulted over the balcony and lowered myself down, hanging from my fingertips. It was too awkward an angle to land the way Sweeney had, but I had no choice. Swinging my legs, I pushed myself backwards and managed to curl myself into a ball as I hit the gravelly part of the garden. I could feel the small stones scratching my skin as I rolled into the bushes,and Sweeney immediately jumped at me, licking my face. "Not now boy!" I whispered, as I crawled on my stomach to get a view of the house. I could just make put the shadow of someone trashing the place, their jagged shadow cutting across the lawn. I scrambled to my feet, scooping up the dog and darted into the darkness under the house, hoping upon hope the side gate was unlocked. It wasn't.

I hadn't really let myself panic, but now I could feel it rising. It wouldn't take long for whoever it was in the flat to work out where I was. I put Sweeney down. I didn't want to leave him, but I had to get to the other side of the gate and into the street. I took a running jump, adrenaline giving me the strength to tackle the wooden fence and haul myself over it. I landed awkwardly, and fell back against the gate. I heard a rusting in the bushes, and Sweeney stuck his head out. Almost crying, I helped him through - of course he would find the easy way out. "Come on boy, let's go!" I tried to run, but a sharp flash of pain shot through my ankle. I staggered, but pushed through, in a limped run.

I tried to make it down the street as fast as I could, when I realised my phone was still zipped in my pocket. I stopped by a low wall, holding out one hand to steady myself as I got my phone out of my pocket. Fingers trembling I dialled 911, and explained what had happened.

"Ma'am, can you get to a neighbour's house? We're sending out someone straight away" said the operator.

"Uh, yeah, I guess" I said, looking around. Everyone had 6 foot high fences, or a row of trees to block the view. I limped along to a giant wrought iron gate. I had no idea who lived here and prayed they wouldn't be psychos. "Ah, OK, I'm at number 1668 on Rain Avenue" I told the operator, pressing the buzzer. "I'll stay with you Ma'am, until we know you're safe" she replied.

After a few moments a woman's voice came onto the intercom, "Hello?".

"Hi, I'm Lou, I'm erm, I'm your neighbour and there's an intruder in my house, and um, I've had to jump off my balcony to escape and um, I'm really sorry to bother you but could I wait in your garden or something until the police come?" My voice was getting high pitched.

"Oh my lord, Jack, Jack!" said the disembodied voice, calling to someone. I leaned against the gate and slid to the floor, resting my head against the bars.

"Ma'am, ma'am are you still there?" the operator enquired.

I put my hand up to my eyes and sighed, "Yes, I'm still here, I think they're coming for me now"

I heard footsteps on the gravel and a figure came to the gate. A tall grey haired man looked down at me, "Oh my, are you OK?"

I looked dumbly up at him, "No" I said meekly.

There was a buzzing noise as the gate opened, but I didn't have the energy to stand, I just stayed sitting where I was, with Sweeney's head on my lap. The man knelt down and was joined by a woman rushing out of the house.

"Oh my god, sweetheart! What's happened?" she said.

"There's someone in my house. The police are coming" I said, "I'm sorry to do this but..."

"Shhh" said the man, "It's OK you're safe now. We'd better get you inside though"

He gave me a hand to help me up, as the woman hovered nervously behind him. I faltered and landed back on the ground again.

"Jack! Is she conscious?" said the woman, dashing forward. He knelt down again and said softly, "Don't worry, I've got you now, shall we try again?" I nodded and they both helped me into a sitting position. Suddenly, I could hear sirens and we were bathed in flashing red and blue lights.

I breathed a sigh of relief as the cop got out of the car and walked towards us. Everything was a bit of a blur as he started to ask questions about what happened. "We're going to need an ambulance to the break in on Rain, young female cut up badly" said the policeman into his walkie talkie. I looked down, and saw my arms were covered in blood, which has gotten all over Jane's t-shirt. I hoped she wouldn't mind.

Jack's wife came out with a blanket to put around me. "Can someone call my friend please? She's out, she, she needs to know"

Jack held out his hand for my phone as I told him who to call. The police officer took a few more details from me and Jack handed the phone back. "She's leaving now. She's only around the corner so she'll probably get here before the ambulance does."

I looked up at the police officer, "Have you caught them? Whoever was in my house?"

He shook his head, "Sorry. They've turned over the place pretty badly, we're sending in a forensics team. You were lucky to get out"

I gave a weak smile. I felt tired and just wanted to shut my eyes. Jack's wife appeared again with a cup of tea which she handed to me. Taking it, I held open the blanket for Sweeney to crawl in so I could hug him. I could feel the tears falling from my eyes into his fur.

"Lou? Oh my god!"

Jane came rushing over, Josh behind her. I held onto Sweeney and she put her arms around me.

"I got blood on your t shirt!" I started to sob.

"Shh, it's OK, don't worry. What happened?" she put her hands on my shoulders, and Josh knelt down beside her with his hands on hers.

I tried to tell her but I just couldn't. Fatigue was kicking in, and the words stuck in my throat. I just shook my head as more tears fell.

"Excuse me, miss? Are you Jane?" another police officer came forward, holding a plastic bag.

Jane nodded. "I'm sorry to show you this miss, it's quite disturbing but do you know anyone who would have reason to what to harm you or your friend here?"

She shook her head as he showed her what was in the plastic bag. Inside was a note.

stay away from J bitch if you know whats good for u

"Miss, there were hundreds of notes like these in your apartment. Can you confirm that you or your friend did not write these?"

"Of course I didn't write these! Why would I write something like that to myself?" she shouted.

"I'm sorry Miss but I had to check. We're going to have to take a statement from you at some point. We'll be on contact but in the meantime do you have somewhere to stay?"

"They'll be at mine" said Josh, who then gave his details to the officer.

A few hours later I was discharged from hospital to Josh's house. My arms were covered in bandages and I'd had to have stitches in my eyebrow. I had also torn a ligament in my ankle which meant I would be on crutches for a while.

Sam had met us at Josh's house and was marching up and down on the phone to whichever poor sap he had woken at 3am. I hoped it wasn't Peter Goldman.

"I don't know how they got in - look if there had been threats sent to the management I should have been made aware, we could have got security for them. Jesus they haven't even released their first single yet and the drummer's already all sliced up!"

He shook his head at me through the doorway and continued pounding up and down.  
>Jane sat with me on the couch, sipping tea. There was an elephant in the room I had to address, or rather two.<p>

"Jane", I said, readjusting the pillows behind me, "The letters the police found. You don't think it could be Caroline Stenna do you?"

She looked me in the eye and I saw her bottom lip tremble slightly, "I was hoping not, but now it looks like it could be. I really thought that was all behind us"

"Has she contacted you recently? Is that why you sent those emails to Jackson, to keep him safe?"

Her eyes widened "What emails to Jackson?"

"Graupner rang me this afternoon. He said Jackson had an email from you saying you'd sold the guitar..."

She leapt up and grabbed Josh's MacBook which was on the coffee table.

"Dude, what's wrong?" I asked, "I believe you if you say you didn't send them but if you've been under stress I understand..."

"I swear I've not sent any emails" she said. furiously typing, before her mouth formed an 'o' shape.

"What's wrong?"

She turned the screen to face me, her hands shaking "I swear Lou, I haven't sent him anything, I didn't send...those things..."

In Jane's sent folder were hundreds of messages sent to Jackson earlier today. They ranged from "Stay Away from me" to ones which were full of abuse and sick pictures. I looked at her.

"You've got to believe me! I wouldn't send stuff like that!"

"I believe you, there's no question. But why are they in your sent box?" I said, looking closer at the screen when it hit me.

"Jane, you couldn't have sent these. It's impossible, look" I said, pointing to the screen, "These were sent from today, whilst we were on the shoot. You were with me the whole time, you wouldn't have been able to send all these emails!"

She looked a bit relieved but still looked pale. "And plus, I know you're not that crazy!" I said to reassure her.

"But who did this? Why would anyone do this?"

"I really think you should show this to the police and tell them about Stenna"

"How would she even do this? Why would she be in LA? That's just crazy!"

A knot tightened in my stomach, "She must have been at the house during the shoot' I said quietly, "She would have had access to your computer"

"And then when she thought we would be alone..." her voice trailed off.

"If she knows you're with Josh" I started, but she interrupted me,

"I'm not WITH Josh!" she exclaimed.

"I know, but she's not going to see it like that. But she's found out where we live and she's crazy enough to do this, AND she knows about you and Jackson..."

Jane jumped up and started shaking her hands "Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit!"

I jumped when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. Pulling it out I looked at the caller ID. Talk about picking your moments.

"Hi" I said, looking at Jane.

"Lou darlin', are you ok? We just heard. Is Jane OK? what happened? We're worried sick about you! Graupner's practically climbing the walls!"

"Jackson, I'm fine. Jane's fine. But I think you two need to talk" I said, before passing Jane my phone.

She gulped before she said a shy hello, and went into the other room.

Josh came in with more tea and a plate of cookies. "Is everything alright?" he asked, setting the things down. "Who's Jane on the phone to?"

"Just, someone" I said, reaching for a biscuit.

After a restless few hours sleep I'd decided I wanted to check out the damage down to the house. Josh drove us over in his car, and we said we'd meet Sam and the detective in charge of our case there.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Josh as he helped me with my crutches getting out of the car. I nodded. Despite my injuries it still didn't feel real. I had to see the damage done for myself.

Stepping over the police tape we stayed silent surveying the damage. Most of the windows and been put through and the floor was covered in broken glass. Furniture had been flipped over and cruel messages were scrawled onto the walls. Sam was already there. "Don't worry about having to clean this up girls, we're going to bring in an agency to do it"

The detective came forward to introduce himself "Detective Rawlings" he said, flashing his badge. "Would you two mind looking around and see what's been taken?"

I hobbled to my bedroom, walking past Jane's. She was running her hands over the shelves which had been emptied, stepping over all the books and records piled on the floor.

"Much taken?" I asked.

"No" she said, shaking her head and hugging her self. "And luckily the studio was locked and they couldn't get in, so all the instruments were safe. I don't actually think they've taken anything"

"Phew" I said, shuffling over to her bed to sit down.

"How are you feeling being back here?" she asked.

I shrugged, "It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be. But I don't think i want to stay here again"

"Sam said they'll put us in a hotel for the time being, we'll be safer there. And then we're off to Texas, if you feel up to it?"

"NOTHING is stopping us from getting to Texas, not even some mad harpy with anger management issues!" We both giggled. "So, what did Jackson have to say?"

"It was weird, he said a few days ago they'd been having weird stuff and messages left for the monkeys too. Maybe there's something in the water. But he was so lovely, he was really concerned"

"Have you thought any more about you and him?"

She nodded, as Josh stuck his head around the door. "Are you two OK? Do you need anything?"

I pulled myself up, "Nah, we're fine. We should get some stuff together and go to the hotel. I'm shattered" I said, stifling a yawn.

I left Josh alone with Jane, who was looking sadly at the mess around her. As Josh pulled her into a hug I could see she was holding some torn pieces of paper in her fist. I didn't have to look again to know it was the letter from Jackson.

"Lou, Jane? Where are you?" called Sam.

"Coming as fast as I can" I said, "It's not easy on sticks you know!"

"Lou?" called Sam, "there's someone here to see you..."

As I turned the corner I got my second shock in 24 hours.

**Who, or maybe what, is waiting for Lou? And just who is out to destroy the Kittens? AND will Jackson and Jane finally admit their feelings for each other?**

**Stay tuned to find out more!**

**BT xoxo**


	17. Chapter 17

**All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.**

CHAPTER 17

JANE'S POV

I walked to towards the lounge and turned to see James or 'Teddy' standing in the the door way, hands in his pockets, hair all over the place, a slight shadow beneath his eyes, but that same infectious cheeky grin still, as always, plastered on his face. Bless him, he looked like he hadn't slept in days. But what the hell was he doing here? I had only just spoken to Jackson...

Echoing my thoughts, Lou hobbled towards the door, "What? How did you get here?"

James walked towards Lou and pulled her into a hug. I briefly felt Josh hold his breath and tense up beside me, but I was too distracted and curious as to why the hell James Franco was standing in our apartment, with Lou swept up in his arms.

In one smooth move, he lifted her off the floor, and lightly placed her on the sofa, and kissed her on the cheek.

"I was in the area" he shrugged. "I got a text from Jackson earlier, I heard my Kitten had a badass ninja incident, so came to check she didn't injure too many people" he winked at her.

"Well, I'm glad you're here" I pulled him into a hug of my own.

I heard Josh clear his throat behind me. "Well, everything's under control, the girls will be staying with me tonight".

James wheeled round as if he hadn't seen Josh there at all. "Well, the Grobster! Been a while, how goes it?" James grinned at him and held out his hand, he didn't sound so sincere though. Josh didn't move an inch, he kept his hand on mine, and nodded slightly, "James".

Lou and I raised our eyebrows at each other. What was up with these two? How the hell did they know each other? We were still stood there in silence. This was weird, weird and awkward.

Just then Josh's phone rang. "Excuse me" he squeezed my arm, and walked to the kitchen to take the call.

"Lou, I really think you should maybe have a few days rest, I'll fly you out to Texas on the day of the gig". Sam was fussing over Lou, trying to put a blanket over her.

"I'm fine!" She rolled her eyes, "Leave me be, it's about time we had another road trip, anyway. It can't get more eventful than what's happened since we've been here!" She laughed, but I could see her grimace through the pain.

"Dude, why don't you take a few pain killers, and have a lie down until we're ready to go?" I received her best death-stare. "OK, OK," I held my hands up, "Whatever you want!"

Sam sat down next to her. "Look, Lou, we need to see how we'll work around your leg being out of action, think we could adjust your kit?"

Whilst those two started discussing the logistics James grabbed my arm, "Hey, can I have a word?"

"Sure" I said hesitantly, "Come check out the guitar Jackson sent, it's awesome!"

We got to the studio and I let him play with Isabelle. "So, what's up? And what's the deal with you and Josh?"

"Uh, look, it's a long story, we knew each other back in school, no biggy." He smiled and looked sheepish, but suddenly his face changed, "Look, Jane, you guys need to stay with me tonight - don't stay with him."

"What? I thought you said there wasn't a problem? He's my friend, and he's taken care if us so far."

"Yeah? and look what's happened."

"That's not his fault!" I crossed my arms and could feel my voice rising. "He was with me the whole time this evening and we're going to stay with him tonight."

"Fine" he raked his hand through his hair in frustration. God, he looked exhausted.

"Is there something else going on? Why are you here? I only spoke to Jackson an hour ago, there's no way you'd get here that fast..."

"Yeah, I've been back for a few days. There's, uh, a lot going on down there, it was probably best I gave the boys some space. There's some crazy shit going on down there. Jackson's been getting the some weird letters and stuff. The boys are getting creeped out. Did he tell you about the story he got?"

I nodded. "He told me today, I haven't had the chance to tell Lou yet. He told me what it said. i got the same thing, but threw it away."

"Jeez, this shit is weird. "

"True. But why do _you_ have to give them space?"

"Jerad and I got into a... discussion, we were drinking, it got heated, you know... " he looked down at the floor, and placed Isabelle back on the chair. I noticed he had a small cut below his eye.

"Did he hit you?"

"We kind of got each other.. it's nothing, I just came to check on you guys, OK? I promised Jackson too. You tell him Josh is here?"

"Not yet" my turn to look sheepish. "We were hoping to meet up on the road at some point tomorrow. I'm sure we'll have a lot to catch up on."

"Jane? Where are you guys?" I could hear Sam calling from the hallway.

"Come on, lets go see what Lou wants to do."

A few hours later I was lying awake, staring at the ceiling in Josh's spare room. I couldn't _not _stay here, after all he's done for us so far. I tried to make sense of everything, but just couldn't. Lou had gone back with James to his place, which was probably best for the both of them. She would have someone to fuss over her, and hopefully he would chill out. I briefly managed to tell her what both Jackson and James had said, but we hadn't had time to discuss, so her personal mission was to find out from James exactly what the history was between him and Josh, and we would come up with a plan tomorrow.

I tossed and turned for hours, I could hear the piano playing softly in the living room. I couldn't help but get choked up a little. When I was with Josh, and couldn't sleep from stress or nightmares, he would always get up, no matter what time of night it was, and play the piano until I fell asleep. Sometimes it took hours, sometimes I would bring my duvet into the room and curl up and watch him, absorbed in his music. He always knew when I needed him. It was our thing, we never spoke of our little musical night time routine, it was just something we did.

I missed Josh, I definitely did, and it brought back so many memories, just being here, but couldn't help feeling that we'd reached the end of us. It didn't work before, and I couldn't see it happening again. Too much has happened to the both of us since. He had started to say something before I went to bed, but stopped. I think he knows our moment has passed too. For the first time ever, I heard him walk away from the piano before I fell asleep.

The next morning Sam dropped round the rental car that Lou, James and I were going to drive down to Texas, Sam was going to catch a flight ahead and check everything was sorted security wise. I think it pleased him we seemed to have James tagging along. Could have forked out for a better car, though. It was a lovely 1970's chevy, but no way was thing gonna last another few days, let alone the rest of the year.

I said goodbye to Josh, and promised to text him when we got there. I couldn't help but tear up a bit as I said goodbye, thank god it was hot and I had an excuse for giant sunglasses... We decided that James should drive the first stretch, I hadn't got much sleep last night, and there was no way Lou was driving. Her ankle was now the size of a balloon, and was literally black and blue. We would have to sort out a different set list to work around the injury, that or borrow Uncle Larry to help us out. He seemed to be the biggest fan of ours anyway, he gets our music.

"So come on, spill the beans, missy! Anything happen with the Grobster last night?" Lou was feeling particularly chipper as we pulled out the driveway. I ignored her for a moment as I turned to see Josh standing there holding Sweeney, watching us drive away.

"Nothing! Just friends... It didn't work out between us before, and it won't again" I sighed.

"Well I know someone who will be pleased to hear that" James winked at me in the rear view mirror.

"Hey, that was Texas! Turn it up!" Lou drew our attention to the latest weather report on the ancient radio.

"A grade 5 tornado is due to hit South Carolina at some point tonight, it is unclear in which direction it may take, at the moment Texas are preparing to..." to radio fizzled and crackled for a second then died. We drove in silence for a minute as we took this new information in.

"Well" Lou said, resting her legs across James' lap as he drove. "Our lives just get more and more eventful, don't they?"

"Oh, god" I groaned, "What if they cancel the gig? What will we do? We can't go back to the apartment, there's a crazy pyscho going to kill us, who may, or may not also be stalking the Monkeys, you've got a busted foot, and there's a Tornado heading for us!"

"Chill guys! You Brits are so dramatic. It's just a storm warning, this kinda thing happens all the time in the South. We'll probably get a little wind, a little rain, then it's gone!" James managed to roll down the window and light a cigarette in one smooth motion. This guy was just effortlessly cool, blue jeans, white t-shirt, hair swept back in a 50's style. I figured Lou might have had a hand in that one, this morning... he was like James Dean reincarnated.

As we drove along I was still trying to make sense of what was happening to us at the moment.

So, the boys were having weird stuff happen to them, so were we, James turns up, sort of warns me about Josh, Josh is at home, innocent, so what does that make James? It dawned on me that Jackson might not know he was coming with us to the gig in Texas. Was that OK? He hadn't mentioned the boys fight whilst we were on the phone, so hadn't thought about it before. AND we still hadn't got the bottom of James and Josh situation... this was all so confusing.

My phone beeped. I felt my heart jump as I saw it was from Jackson.

"Hey guys, the boys have stopped at a rest stop about 20 miles away - they're gonna wait for us there."

An hour later we pulled up at next to Jackson's SUV, I tried to calm my self by fussing with my bags, but could see the guys out the corner of my eyes. I looked up as Jackson opened my door, I couldn't help it, I jumped into his arms. He squeezed me tight as I high-fived Ben G and Ben J behind his back.

"Lou is my _hairstylist _with benefits!" Ben G announced to the group. "Wha..." Lou and I said in unison. "Dude!" Both Jackson and Jerad hissed at him. Jackson rested his arm across my shoulders and looked sternly at Ben G. But it didn't seem to stop Ben who just couldn't help but babble on, "You know we were talking about whose had the most 'benefits' this road trip, you know '_extra-curricular activities'_ ," I crossed my arms and cleared my throat - I knew where _this _was going.

He ticked off a checklist on his fingers, "I'm the only one without benefits, Uncle Larry gets extra days off to see his family - _benefits, _when Johnson wanted to go home and see his girlfriend he got vacation _benefits_, and Jackson has Jane, and... ",

"Dude!" The boys shouted at him once again.

"Aha!" I declared, "The old friends with benefits huh? Is that how this conversation started?" I raised an eyebrow at Jackson, who promptly gave me his cheeky grin, the one that made his eyes sparkle (this one always got me, dammit). "How's about it sugar?" I punched him in the arm and couldn't help but giggle. I grinned up at him, shrugged my shoulders, "Works for me!"

Ben G suddenly made a lunge towards Lou, "Come here, my new...er...hairstylist, benefit lady!"

"It's so good to see you guys again!" Lou squealed as Ben G picked her up and spun her round. "Your hair's too long", she said leaning back on her crutches and squinting up at him. "And you really need to start washing it, too..."

"Oh, I've missed my personal stylist/General in command/benefit lady!" Ben G saluted her.

"Oh God, you're not going to keep calling me that are you?" Lou sounded annoyed, but I could see her trying not grin back at Graupner who was smiling goofily down at her.

"Come on, let's eat". Jackson took my hand and led us all into the roadside restaurant. I turned to see if Lou needed help, but she was leaning on Jerad, who seemed to be leading her the opposite way.

"Er... guys -this way!"

"I'm just taking Lou for a coffee, we'll be back in a bit" Jerad waved to us.

"_Coffee _with benefits!"

"Shut it _down, _Graupner!" Lou let Jerad steer her away from the madness.

Hmmmm. Wonder what was going on there...maybe something to do with that fight with James? At that moment I caught James' eye and he winked, "It's all good, stop looking so stressed all the time!" I wonder if she was going to tell Jerad she stayed at James' last night? Either way, I resolved to keep my mouth shut until she came back.

"What's going on with Jerad?" I asked as I squeezed into the booth next to Jackson and let him rest his arm round me. I caught the boys glancing at each other, including James - as if to say 'well, I'm not telling'. After another moment of silence and the boys shifting uncomfortably in their seats, I gave up. Whatever, I'll hear from Lou, soon enough... besides, there was something else we had to get to the bottom of first...

"Fine, if you won't spill the beans about him, at least tell me what freaky things have been happening to you, and I'll tell you all the things our freaky little stalker has been up to". I tried to make that sound cheery, but from the looks on their faces I could tell they were as messed up about it as we were. We spent the next hour sharing stories, and now were all pretty confident that it was the same person that was harrassing the Monkeys. And unfortunately, by the nature of the notes and emails etc... it looked like it was focused on me and Jackson.

JOSH'S POV

"Hey, Sweeney, Get down!" I was trying to control Sweeney has he jumped all over the **i**nside of the Jag. I'm pretty sure i could smell his pee coming from somewhere in the back, but was not about to worry about that now.

Oh god, what was I doing? I was now hurtling down the freeway at 90mph, chasing Jane, for what? I don't know why I followed her, I just couldn't say goodbye, not yet. I still hadn't told her how I feel. How can I let her out of my life again? The moment their car left the driveway I felt empty, it didn't help that it was that smug asshole Franco, that was taking her away. I had packed a few things, grabbed Sweeney and jumped into my new Jag, for once, one of these unnecessary, extravagant purchases was gonna come in useful...

We'd been on the road for a good few hours, I needed a break, and Sweeney definitely needed a walk. I could feel my eyelids closing, but caught site of a gas station in the distance. "Hey Bud, we'll stop for a bit, walkies?"

As we pulled in to the gas station, I caught site of Lou, talking to some guy outside their car. She hadn't seen me, I hunched down in my seat, and prayed to god that Sweeney stayed quiet too.

"Hey, whatever makes you happy" I heard Lou telling him. "But it's not like that... it's, it's so difficult to explain!" This guy had some serious making up to do... which reminded me, where was Jane and James? Who was this guy?

My questions were answered as I heard more people approaching their car. I heard Franco's voice, loud and clear... "Hey Jerad, these boys have voted you and me take the girl's chevy for the next stint... one on one man time?"

"Shotgun!" I heard Jane squeal. I looked up to see her wrap her arms around some guy's neck, and kiss him. I felt my hands tighten around the steering wheel, and tried to control my anger. Who the hell was he? Although this did explain why Jane had been a little cagey recently. And the note I found in her room...Maybe I should just leave now? No, I can't. I got myself into this stupid mess, I have to speak to her properly, make her understand.

JANE'S POV

"Jerad's engaged?" I could not believe it. Lou was staring back at me solemnly. "Yep, old girlfriend, something about a whirlwind... I don't know all the details, but I'm sure these boys can help us out?" She said sarcastically to the rest of the car.

"I'm changing the subject! I can't talk about this anymore!" Ben J nearly shouted. Lou whispered in my ear, "I'll tell you the rest later - there's a LOT to catch up on!"

"Why does Jane get shotgun? I'm the tallest!" Graupner said for the hundreth time. "_She's _not in our band - but she gets benefits! See! Told you!"

"Shut up about the bloody benefits!" Lou snapped, understandably, she had slipped into a somewhat sour mood.

I sat up front with Jackson in his SUV, Lou and the two Monkey's sat in the backseat, and to say we were all excited to see each other again was an understatement. Everyone was talking a mile a minute, Ben G got upset when Lou won another game of 'Tractor', accusing her of using her 'British travelling-game' as a 'benefit'. Lou punched him once again and I couldn't tell if he was lightening her mood or making it worse. Ben J pulled a guitar out of nowhere and we were merrily making up songs, laughing at Ben's stupid impressions. I grinned as I rested my ankles on the open window and let the scenery roll by, this was the first time I'd felt completely relaxed in ages.

"When does Uncle Larry get here?"

"The day after tomorrow, just before the gig, he had family stuff to do."

"Too bad, we could have used him, we were kind of hoping he could help out, seeing as Lou is one leg down."

"Why just Larry?" Jackson stuck out his bottom lip pretending to be hurt. "Why don't we all play a few songs together? We'll do some of yours, and some of ours, easy!"

"Yes! Orson Brawl!" Lou piped up.

"Great - hang on, I'm going to write this down. "

A couple of hours or so later, we had our set list down, Lou and Ben J had fallen asleep, I sat with my hand in Jackson's watching the skies darken above us.

"You think this storm will hit tonight?"

"Don't worry darlin'" he said looking up, "We'll probably get a some wind, some rain, it will be over by the morning, besides we only have three hours to go. We'll be fine!"

I stared at the car in front of us, "That's just what James said. You think the boys have kissed and made up?"

Jackson flashed our headlights at the boys in front and they waved. "Yep, they were just acting like knuckle-heads. Too many days on the road, not enough girls around" he winked at me. "They'll get over it - besides, now we have you girls back, and Jerad has his er... distraction, I'm sure it will be all good".

It had really started to rain heavy now, I could see the lightning in the distance, and could hear the thunder approaching. It was getting difficult to see the Jerad and James in the crappy chevy, I was grateful we weren't driving it today, not in this weather. Our only saving grace was that we seemed to be the only cars on the road, everyone had a better ideas, staying inside where it's safe. I looked at Jackson, I should just calm down, he's from the South, they have these sort of things all the time, Jesus, I was being dramatic. I just started to close my eyes...

**BANG!**

Jackson slammed on the breaks as the chevy in front skidded off the road in front of us, "What the...?"

"Oh my God! What's happened?" Lou jumped up and clambered over Johnson, pressing her palms to the window.

Jackson peered through the windscreen, "They've blown a tire I think, I'll get out and check".

And few minutes later he enlisted the help of Johnson and Graupner to help tie the chevy to the back of the SUV, reasoning it was only a few miles to the next rest stop and it would be easier to change it there rather than by the side of the road.

Lou kept on craning her head around to wave at Jerad and James in the car behind, much to the annoyance of Graupner. "Keep still Lou! It's like you've got ants in your pants!"

She pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. I caught her eye in the rear view mirror and raised an eyebrow. She shook her head and frowned. Uh oh, she was getting in a mood again. I hoped the rest stop wasn't too far off.

The wind was howling, and the rain kept on beating down on Jackson's SUV. Jackson glanced back at Lou and Bens in the back seat, rested his hand on mine, and lowered his voice. "You think we'll get time alone tonight darlin'? I missed you. And besides, I gotta claim my _benefits" _He wiggled his eyebrows and grinned at me. Why do his eyes have to be so bloody enticing! No wonder every girl that meets him falls for his charms. It had worked on me.

"OK, number 1, I'm definitely planning on getting you alone tonight. So don't worry about that. 2, as special as it makes me feel to be known as a 'friend with benefits', maybe tone it down, especially around Lou, it seems to really piss her off for some reason, and I think she's not in best of moods at the moment - maybe stay out of her way". As soon as I said that I instantly regretted it. I saw the twinkle in his eye; the extrovert in him liked to prey on moody people and make them laugh. I didn't think it would work on Lou anytime soon.

**Hey all! Thanks for continuing to read my story - if anyone has any thoughts please let me know! Stay tuned to find out what happens next... Will Lou finally snap and 'take Jackson down'? and who the hell did Jerad get engaged to? A LOT MORE to come - i promise! xx**


	18. Chapter 18

**As always, any resemblance to anyone alive or dead is merely coincidental.**

CHAPTER 18

LOU'S POV

I decided to keep my mouth shut about Jerad and James sharing a car - they had both been decidedly cagey about the events of 'that' night, and I dreaded to think that it *may* have been about me. To try and break up their conversation I tried to make them laugh by waving and making stupid faces at them in the car behind, until Graupner whined about me moving so I had to stay put. Jackson and Jane were having a tete-a-tete in the front and Johnson was playing on his phone. I couldn't wait to get out of this car now, making a mental note to switch at the next stop.

We pulled up at a service station. Thankfully the storm had seemed to ease off a bit so it shouldn't take too long.

We all jumped out to stretch our legs. "Hey Big Foot! How's it going?" chuckled Jackson, as I not so elegantly tried to get out of the car using my crutches. "No special benefits for Lou, eh?"

I hissed at him to shut up, if he mentioned those bloody benefits again, he'd get to know one of my crutches very well. I was feeling a bit self-conscious about my ankle, not least because I'd had to ditch my usual uniform of vintage flowery dresses for red firebird tracksuit bottoms and another of Jane's cool t-shirts.

Graupner retrieved a jack from the back of the Monkey's SUV. Adopting a crap British accent, he waved it above his head, "Not to worry chaps, we'll have this fixed in a jiffy! Now, does anyone know what to do with this?"

Jackson grabbed the jack and immediately got to work removing the offending tyre. He and Graupner bantered in stupid Brit accents as they worked, "Oh, I do say, this vehicular forward motion machine is just a typical yankee machine isn't it chap?"

"Sure is guv'nor, fish and chips an' all that!"

I let out a huge sigh, "Have either of you actually BEEN to England? We don't talk like that!"

Jackson flashed me a grin, mimicking Graupner's cockney accent, "Chim, chim, cheree Mary Poppins, I'm sorry! How's about we 'av an knees-up-muvva-brown and some jellied eels? Luvverly!"

Jane giggled, but I just scowled at him. Jackson was sweet, but sometimes he could wind me up the wrong way.

Graupner shifted the tire and mimed throwing it like an Olympic discus thrower across the car park.

"Now, me ol' china dolls, we just need that spare tyre of yours"

Jane popped the trunk and frowned "Ummmm..." She checked the back seat. "There doesn't appear to be one?"

I groaned. Only Sam would get us a rental that didn't have a spare tyre. Jane shrugged "No worries, we'll just borrow yours?"

Jerad piped up, "Well, we would, but we had to use it to cover the one blown by Graupner doing donuts in the car park to impress a group of girls last month." Graupner just raised his arms and eyebrows to suggest "what-are-you-gonna-do?"

"No tyre benefits then."

"GRAUPNER!" Everyone shouted at once.

Johnson glanced to the sky. "It's getting dark, you'll have to hurry. I don't like the look of that storm. Bad medicine"

"I'll go to the cafe and see if they have a number for a tow truck" offered Graupner, who started to make his way over across the car park.

I sighed again and leant against the chevy, shivering as a cool wind started to blow. Jackson and Jerad started to dance and prance around to 'Brown Eyed-Girl', which was blaring from the radio as Jane went to call Sam on her cell. James stood next to me, and bumped my shoulders with his, as he continued to film the boys. He hugged me to him, "Don't worry Lou Lou Bear, you'll be away from these idiots soon enough!"

Jackson turned to Jerad, "Could we uh, be like, dance friends with benefits?"

Everyone looked at me for some kind of reaction, it took all my strength to clench my fists and let my anger disappear as silently as possible. Before my rage became vocal James cleverly showed me some pictures of pugs on his phone. It felt like Ben was taking forever at the station, not least because I was being subjected to Jackson's routine of 'trying to cheer me up'. Jane was trying her best not to laugh as he and Jerad pretended to be monkeys grooming each other, screeching and climbing over cars. James simply smiled at their antics, but I was getting more and more wound up.

Ben eventually came back, but the news wasn't good, "The shop's closed, but they can send someone to tow you to the next town"

"Hasn't anyone else got a spare we could buy off them?" I asked, gritting my teeth as Jackson started to play Peekaboo inches from my face.

He shrugged and glanced around the near-empty parking lot. Jackson pulled out his harmonica and started to skip around again, as Jane and I discussed our options.

"I could google motels in the next town?" suggested Johnson, "We've got time to have a lay-over".

"Lay-over, play-over, Oh lover won't you lay-over me!" sang Jackson.

"Has someone given him sugar today?" I snapped, getting increasingly irritated.

"I guess we have the time, although I did want to get to Texas in plenty of time to rehearse with your ankle" said Jane, pulling her cardigan tighter around her.

"What are our other options?" I asked, trying to ignore Jackson out the corner of my eye.

Jane started to speak but was interrupted by Jackson jumping between us, playing on his harmonica.

I lost it. "FOR CHRISSAKES JACKSON!" I screamed, yanking the instrument from his grasp and lobbing it into the bushes. "Fetch!"

He laughed and then barked as he jumped into the bushes to look for it, as Jane raised her hands to me, "Chill dude!" she laughed.

Three hours later we had checked into a motel in the next town over. The Monkeys had gallantly offered to stay over with us and we'd got three rooms between us so James could bunk with someone and Jane and I could have a room of our own, which I guessed was because they were afraid I'd rip Jackson's head off in case he started to act up again.

We were watching the weather report when there was a knock on the door. Jackson stood there, hat in hand, looking sheepish.

"I'm sorry Miss" he said, in that British accent again, "But could I bother you and your lovely mate to accompany us poor vagabonds for a drink this evening?"

I frowned, but Jane grabbed her bag and pushed past me. I hesitated, but she fished out a bright red lipstick from her bag and applied it to my lips, "Come on Lou, we could do with some cheering up! What do you say?"

"Just as long as we don't go too heavy: we've got to up early to get the car fixed before we finish the drive to Texas."

"Pinky-Promise!"

**Hi all, i've been writing loads recently, and i will have the next chapter (which is a lot longer) up in a couple of days ;) xx **

**I've also finally joined twitter - would love to meet other Monkey fans! :) (can't save the 'at' sign...) beatty_street **


	19. Chapter 19

**Hi y'all! Thank you for all your lovely messages, here and on twitter! (I'm 'at' beatty_street if you would like to say Hi! I follow back every one who follows me!)**

**Strap yourself in cos this is a long'un, but I thought it was time the Monkeys and the Kittens had some fun!**

**As usual, any resemblance to persons alive or dead is a coincidence.**

CHAPTER 19

LOU'S POV

The seven of us descended on a whiskey bar not far from the hotel. James helped me to a table and a waitress came over to take our order. Despite my reservations, Jane was right to convince me, it actually felt good to be out and forget about everything which has been going on.

"Hi there! I'm Sheree and I'm be your waitress for this evening!" She flashed smile at James, ignoring the rest of us. Oh, it was going to be like that, is it? I thought.

James simply gave her a gorgeous grin, but grabbed my hand. In the corner of my eye Jerad flared his nostrils. I felt self-conscious and pulled my hand away.

"Say, Sheree, that's a mighty fine t-shirt you got there!" said Jackson, putting on his southern gent charm. The waitress was wearing a cool t-shirt which had the name of the bar, "Mother May's Whiskey" emblazoned across it. "Where could a guy like me get a shirt like that?"

"You have to do the Mother May Whiskey World Tour" she blushed, as Jane let out a small "Huh!". "If you do all 15 shots you get the t-shirt!"

Graupner did a quick calculation, "There's seven of us" he counted, "so, two each and then whoever finishes first gets the final shot and the t-shirt!"

Johnson shifted in his chair, "We really shouldn't go too crazy, we have another long drive tomorrow, remember?"

"Aw, c'mon brother! Let's do a world tour before we do a proper world tour!" replied Jackson, slouching back in his chair.

"No, it's fifteen each!" giggled Sheree.

"FIFTEEN?" cried Jane, "You'd die!"

"People usually do it across a week, rather than in one night"

"Ah well, " said Johnson, picking up the bar menu, "So, beers all round and then an early night, yeah?" he said nervously. He had seen as well as I had the mischievous glint in Jackson's eye.

"Man, I really want that t-shirt" he said, making eye contact with Graupner, who sagely nodded.

"Jackson, c'mon it's a long drive, take it easy" said Jerad.

Raising a sly smile, Jackson raised hishand, still not breaking eye contact with Graupner, "My dear lady Sheree. I accept your challenge, two world tours please!"

"Three!" shouted Jane.

"Four!" I shouted. Everyone looked at me in surprise. I just shrugged.

"You want FOUR whiskey world tours? To drink in one night?" said Sheree slowly.

We all nodded. Johnson flapped the menu nervously, "Seriously guys, this isn't a good idea!"

TWO HOURS LATER

"FIVE!" screamed Graupner, raising his glass. I slowly brought the shot glass to my lips, taking a deep breath hoping to keep the vomit down.

"Five" I mumbled, letting my head rest on the table. Ahh, that felt better.

"FIVE!" cheered Jane and Jackson in unison, downing their shots. Damn them, why wasn't the alcohol affecting them as much as me?.

James nudged my shoulder, "Lou Lou, are you OK? Do you want to go back to your room?"

"I'm fine" I mumbled into the table.

"I'm going to head back now" said James, "Anyone coming with?" Johnson stood but, but Jerad stayed put.

"I'll make sure Lou gets back OK" he said, mopping up some spilt beer so it didn't get into my hair.

"I'm sure you will" James grinned, whilst Johnson gave us another warning about tomorrow which was batted away by Jackson and Graupner.

JERAD'S POV

I actually hated them when they were like this. Jane was perched on Jackson's lap, who was drooling all over her.

Jane swung around his neck, raising another shot glass, "SIX!" she shouted.

Her, Jackson and Ben downed another shot, whilst Lou just meekly curled her fingers around her glass.

Jackson started to nuzzle Jane's neck while she whispered sweet nothing's to him.

"Guys, GUYS! I think Lou's about to hurl!" Lou was mumbling something into the table.

"SEVEN!" exclaimed Graupner, but Jane looked concerned. "Lift her head up" she said.

I pulled on Lou's ponytail and lifted her head off the table, and she gave a goofy smile.

"Nah, she's fine!" said Jane, before pulling Jackson into a kiss. Oh man.

I felt a sudden 'de ja vu' or whatever it's called. Weird.

I pulled Lou's arm around my shoulder to take her outside for some air.

_Three Years Earlier..._

_JERAD'S POV_

_Graupner and I followed J and Johnson down the street in a part of Soho I had never seen before. We were having a great time wandering round the streets, making up stupid songs, and were more than likely going to get up to no good. Last week we had all decided to make a go of it, and named ourselves '100 Monkeys', J had recently received his first pay check, and very gallantly bought us all tickets to New York, to celebrate. So here we were, a little stoned, a little hungry, and ready for some drinking._

_Johnson exhaled and passed the last of the joint to me "Time for beers?"_

_"Definitely. Any ideas where?"_

_We stopped and scanned the street, it was busy, groups of kids hanging out on the corner, 'ladies of the night' (or men, I couldn't tell) calling to us, everyone busy with somewhere to go, rushing past us. I suddenly felt very self conscious and started to spin out (probably just paranoid). I saw a sandwich board sign pointing to a basement bar named 'Cigar Bar'. It didn't look great, but i just wanted to get inside. "Dudes, let's check this place out". _

_We stumbled in to the dark bar, there was a stage at one end covered with a thick red velvet curtain. Cigarette smoke hung in the air, girls strutted around in old pin-up outfits taking orders and delivering drinks, a huge sweaty guy covered in tattoos was behind the bar, leering at the girls, mindlessly polishing the same glass, over and over. Well, it's a perfect place to hide.._

_"Watch out boys" Jackson pushed past me "Tonight I find my wife!" He grinned and winked at us, before heading to get us a table. _

_An hour in and few shots down we were sat at a booth to the left of the stage listening once again to one of Graupner's theories about evolution, this time, stating categorically that there monkeys out there that can talk and interact like humans, they are in hiding, so we won't see them until they pop out one day and melt us all into fuel. Jackson took his usual place at the end of the table, nearest the waitress, ready to flirt at the drop of a hat. Johnson as usual had smoked too much, and was slumped in his chair so far he looked like he was part of it. Suddenly he was jolted awake by a loud blast of trumpets from the small jazz band that had assembled next to the stage. The curtains opened and a dozen or so dancers in full on burlesque corsets and hose stocking things strutted across the stage._

_"Now this is more like it!" Jackson called above the music, rubbing his hands together, a massive grin on his face. I raised my glass to him. Yep, not bad at all! I laughed as I saw Graupner had paused, whisky held halfway to his mouth, eyes popping out of his head, mouth hanging open._

_My eyes returned to the stage in time to see two brunettes stumble out onto the stage behind the other girls. Both a little unsteady on their heels, both completely out of time with the music. Both undeniably gorgeous, and both obviously completely wasted._

_"Check it out!" Those two are bombed! Johnson had come to life and was clearly enjoying the show. The drunk girls had made it to the centre of the stage now, I laughed as they started giggling as they bumped into each other, completely glassy eyed and about two moves behind the rest of the dancers. Jackson looked enthralled. His brow furrowed as he turned back to the table, slurring his words a little and not seeming to notice his sleeve was mopping up most of Graupner's spilt drink. "Guys, I think I know her... is she from LA?" _

_"Which one?"_

_"The gorgeous drunk brunette."_

_"There's two gorgeous drunk brunettes!"_

_"Oh" Jackson stared back at the stage, narrowing his eyes, trying to get them to focus. "I thought I was just seeing double" _

_"HAHA!" Ben G spat his whiskey all over the table as Jackson elbowed him in the ribs. "I DO know her... the one with the longer hair, maybe high school?"_

_"Hey, save some for us!" Johnson gestured towards me and himself. "You get plenty of girls after you!" We all burst out laughing as the dancers all provocatively swung their feather boas to the left. The two wasted girls swung the wrong way whacking each other in the face. _

_"What's going on with Ashley anyway? I thought you were close to sealing the deal?" _

_Jackson shrugged. He never said much around me. He knew I didn't exactly approve of Ashley. The last thing he needed now was some hot girl breaking his heart again. Such a sweet, genuine guy - but a sucker for a pretty face, and I had the feeling that Ashley was a bit of a wild one anyway. She'd already been with that Kellan guy - and it's obvious she doesn't want anything serious with anyone, but I've seen the way the girls lap up his Southern charm, she'll feed off his attention for as long as she can..._

_"I don't know" He seemed forlorn, looking down into his empty glass. "She seems to like complete douche bags... no matter what I do she never 'commits' to anything. The last time we hooked up was in London..."_

_"You guys did that press thing in London MONTHS ago... when do you start filming?" _

_"No idea - they reckon it's going to be huge, so keep delaying it..." His eyes wandered back to the stage. "Seriously, I know her! I think i love her!" I caught Johnson's eye, oh god - here we go again. _

_"Whop!" The girl Jackson had his eye on let out a squeal as she lost her footing and nearly slipped completely off the stage, she managed to grab on to her friend who stopped her fall, but subsequently sent two other dancers stumble back into the others, and suddenly they were all falling like dominoes, the only ones left standing were the two drunk ones. A few people in the audience started to laugh as they took one look behind them at the pissed off dancers on the floor and burst into hysterics. _

_"Itsch OK, itsch OK" now the other girl had somehow managed to find a microphone, (this was getting better and better) and hijack the stage at the same time. She pushed back the bold blonde streak of hair off her face, at the same time smearing a little of her red lipstick on her cheek. I had a tremendous urge to touch it. "Don't you worry, you will NOT be bored!" she announced to the audience __in a cockney accent, giving__ a grand wave, and nearly losing her balance. The best thing about this debacle was that these two clearly didn't give a shit - I knew Jackson would love this, he likes his feisty girls. Well, I guess we all do, to be fair. This one in particular certainly had my attention._

_She recovered, stalked over to the cellist of the jazz band, kissed him on the cheek and said "Hit it, boys!"_

_Then she began to belt out The Clash's 'Rock the Casbah' at full volume, slurring her words and completely off key. She had not realised at all that the band had not begun to start playing her song, just sat there staring at her, open mouthed as she swayed her hips and whirled the feather boa around her head. She was adorable._

_Uh oh. At the back of the room I could see the Manager talking to some security dudes. He was gesturing wildly at the stage, and looked pretty damn angry. They headed towards the stage and tried to take the microphone off her. Jackson's girl appeared out of nowhere again, coming to her buddy's defence. She raised her hand I guess to rest it on his shoulder as she told him "It's OK!", but she was so wasted she just kind of rested her hand on his face, whilst joining in the song,_

_"Sharif don't like it!_  
><em>Rockin' the casbah<em>  
><em>Rock the casbah!"<em>

_Now they were both singing, eyes closed, full volume, it was the worst and best version of that song I had ever heard. The boys were in hysterics too, "Is this real?" Ben G called above the noise, which now sounded like two cats drowning. He stood up and applauded them. Jackson's girl caught his eye and saluted him back. _

_The girls were now shouting, __"Sharif don't like it! Thinks it's not kosher! Rock the casbah! Rock the casbah!" __ And the whole bar was in hysterics. This seemed to really piss off security, who pulled the plug on the mic, the bar errupted in boos, disappointed the entertainment was coming to an end. One of the guys lunged for the girl with the blonde streak, she ducked out the way, this time completely losing her balance, arms thrown up in the air, and went flying of the front of the stage straight into our table. _

_"Woah!" Ben G managed to catch her before she she hit the deck. She crashed into the table, sending our drinks flying, she had stage dived so hard she knocked Ben off his feet, he crashed backwards and she landed on top of both of us, her head on my lap. _

_Her friend came stumbling after, feet barely one in front of the other, arms windmilling. She was also about to crash into the table when Jackson caught her arm, stopping her fall. She paused and looked up at him, __grinning inanely. Jackson's faced changed as he took in her face, like maybe he was trying to figure something out, before he broke into a huge smile__"You're GORRRRRGEOUS!" she slurred __in a British accent. It was sexy__. __I swear J went misty-eyed for a second...l__ooks like his attentions could be returned..._

_The girl on my lap looked up at me, for one moment i completely forgot where I was, and had to try hard not reach out and stroke her cheek. She smiled up at me eyes half closed. Then pouted; "They stopped my soooong!"_

_"I know! And you were doing so well!" I grinned back at this gorgeous girl that had dramatically landed on top of me. "Um, are you OK tho? I think you bumped your head?" _

_This caught the attention of Jackson's girl, who was still holding his hand. She looked over at her friend, f__urrowing her brow as she tried to focus, "Lift her head up" she said, nodding at me._

_I put my hand under the girl's chin and tipped her head towards her mate. She gave her the once over and waved her hand,__ "Nah! Scche's fine!" she managed to slur. __The girl on my lap gave a dozy grin back at her friend._

_I looked down at her, "What's your name?"_

_She gave me a sly half smile, "Ummmmm, Pearl. After my drum kit!"_

_"And what's your name, darlin?" asked Jackson to the girl holding his hand._

_Without missing a beat she responded "Les. Les Paul. After my guitar!"_

_I caught Jackson's eye. Now he was definitely interested!_

_"AHEM" Johnson was pointing behind the girls. We all turned to see the security guys making their way towards us - they did NOT look happy. _

_"Quick! Scarper!" Jackson's girl winked at him, __downed the rest of his drink, __grabbed his hat and the girl off my lap, and we all cracked up again as they comically looked for the nearest exit, both went in different directions, changed their minds and ran out the front door, knocking drinks and people everywhere, all to a great round of applause. _

_The Manager reached our table, sweating and completely out of breath. "Damn those girls!" He rested his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. "So sorry guys - drinks on the house for the rest of the night, yeah? THAT won't happen again, trust me!"_

_"Actually, I think that made our night!" Jackson replied. "Er, where can we find them, do they work here? Can I get their cell numbers?" I mentally congratulated J for that one, his love for pretty girls may just help me find mine._

_The manager wrinkled his nose. "Nah, sorry bud. They came in this morning, wanting to play guitars and sing or some shit. Took one look at em' and thought they'd be better off wearing less clothes and dancing. They seemed to need the cash... biggest mistake ever," he continued mopping up our spilt drinks. "Never hire the British. All drunks - the lot of them." _

_I watched Jackson sit back in his chair, still wondering where he knew her from. I tried to cover up my own disappointment, secretly wishing that they had forgotten something and come back, but they never did. _

_Jackson drained his drink "We should get out of here too ... pizza?"_

_"Finally!" Graupner punched the air._

_Jackson chuckled, but took one last look around the bar. I had a feeling Jackson had just began a new found love for burlesque girls. _

JACKSON'S POV

Oh man, I wish this bar were empty right now. I might just forget about the competition and take this kitten back to mine - miaow!

"Hey darlin' how's about we go back to mine and uh, 'rock the casbah', ifyaknowwhattamean!" I raise my eyebrows and give her that cute grin I know she likes so much. Maybe I'll give her neck a little nuzzle as well.

"I want that t-shirt!" cries Jane, wobbling slightly so I have to grab her waist to stop her falling off my lap. Not that I'm complainin'.

JERAD'S POV

"Look, if you wanna hurl, you can hurl in front of me. I don't mind" I brushed the blonde streak of hair hanging over Lou's forehead out of her eyes. She gave me a dreamy smile again, like that night back in St Louis. Oh man, I really shouldn't want to kiss her night now. She might spew on me.

"Jerid" She stopped, "Jer-id. Jerrrrad. Jerad. Jerad! I'm fine, honeshtly!" she replied, swaying slightly.

Suddenly the expression on her face changed. "You're getting MARRIED!" she cried, throwing her arms around me.

"Uh, yeah, I am" Please don't be sick down my back, please don't be sick down my back.

She murmured something in my ear which I couldn't make out. I'd been angry at her for so long since St Louis, and now I had her to myself she was in no state for for us to have it out. At least she was in my arms rather than James'.

"...and I dunno what I'm gonna do, y'know? I mean I like ukulele's and banjos. but banjoleleleleleles are just too weird, y'know?" she continued babbling.

I pushed her back, "Are you sure you don't want to go back?" Half of me hoped she wouldn't say yes: Lou's a tactile drunk at the best of times and I only have so much reserve.

She shook her head. "I want that t-shirt!"

I was going to have to have it out with her another day.

I took her back inside. "Heyyyy! Lou Lou Bear's here! I missed my Lou Lou Bear, come here you!" said Graupner, pulling her into a bear hug.

Jackson and Jane cheered. I'd had enough. I made my excuses and left.

JAMES' POV

I breathed a sign of relief as Jerad walked back out of the bar. It had taken nearly all my strength not to storm over and separate him from Lou when I saw him brush the hair off her face. I wish I hadn't had to leave so abruptly and leave her, but I didn't want her privy to my phonecall or to the other matters I had to attend to. Jerad was really annoying me now, who the hell did he think he was?

I reasoned Lou would be OK with Jane and that Johnson would lead the rescue to get the other two monkeys soon enough. And then we'd be back on the road to Texas. I stood up from behind the chevy and wiped my hands on an oily rag. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

JACKSON'S POV

Oh my god, where am I? Am I outside? It's raining, we must be outside.

"Nrrrr, Jackson, is that you?" Jane is nestling inside my jacket. From what I can make out, we're slumped against a dumpster in an alleyway. Nice.

"What time is it?" she groans.

I fish out my phone from my pocket. 27 missed calls.

"Ummmmm, I think it's about 10.30."

"Uhhhh. We're in so much trouble!" she moans, burying her head in my chest. Despite my pounding head, this feels quite nice.

"Jackson?" she mumbles.

"Yeah, darlin'?"

"My bum's wet"

40 MINUTES LATER

JERAD'S POV

"What do you mean you don't know where Ben and Lou are? I left you with them in the bar!"

Jackson hung his head whilst Jane crouched to the floor, "Shhhhhh" she said, "I have a headache!"

I can't believe they did this. None of them made it back to the motel last night. Jackson rang me to come pick him up after ignoring my calls, and I found him and Jane, soaking wet and shivering in an alleyway behind the bar. I was beyond mad.

"We should have been on the road over an hour a go and now we have to look for Graupner! Do you even know if Lou's with him?"

Jane glanced at her phone, "She's not answering her phone. She can't have gone far with her ankle"

I sighed. "Just get in the car, both of you. We'll drive around and see if we can spot them."

They both groaned as they slumped in the back seat, "No sleeping! Do you hear me? No one shuts their eyes until we find them, OK?"

"But my head hurts!" wailed Jane, "and my pants are wet!"

"Maybe you shouldn't have slept in an alleyway, then, huh?" She had no response to that.

An hour later there was still no sign of either of them. I was dreading ringing Marty to say we'd lost Ben. I can't believe how stupid they'd all been. Especially Lou. I'd been dwelling on the previous night, I should have taken her back.

Jackson's phone suddenly rang, "Hmm, unknown number" he said, answering it.

I pulled over. "Ah huh, yeah, OK. I got it. 5th and Main. We'll be right there! That was Ben" he said, "He's over on 5th and Main". I checked on my iPhone.

"That's over a half hour walk away! How did the hell did he get there?"

"Did he say if Lou was with him?" queried Jane, looking decidedly green.

"No. We'll try and track her when we retrieve Ben"

10 minutes later, we were greeted by the sight of Ben wearing the t-shirt Lou had been wearing the night before, at least 5 sizes too small for him. He was swinging off a lamp post, singing "Rock the Casbah" to himself.

I pulled over across the road, and he gave a cheery wave. As he stepped forward, Lou was quite happily sat on the floor behind him, wearing his skeleton t-shirt, crutches at her feet, eating a croissant.

"Graupner! For christ's sake!" I shouted out the window.

Graupner lurched over to the car, and I was ready to give him a piece of my mind.

"Dude! Dudes! We won the t-shirts!" he cried, waving a wad of rags above his head as Jackson and Jane cheered.

Lord save me.

**Hope you liked it. Would love to hear thoughts and meet other Monkey fans too ;-)**

**BT**


	20. Chapter 20

**All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.**

**Hi guys, just a short one for now, but i'll post another in a couple of days ;). **

CHAPTER 20

JANE'S POV

Understandably, the mood was somewhat sombre in the car as we attempted once more to get to Texas. Jerad and Jackson had a huge fight, and then Jerad and Lou had had a bust up too.

"What the hell is your problem? So I had a few drinks, so what?" she yelled at him.

"We're going to be late Lou, and god knows what further damage you've done to your ankle!" he replied, moving closer to her and staring into her eyes.

Graupner stuck a hand out, "C'mon J, she's fine. We're fine. What's the problem?"

Jerad jabbed a finger at Lou, "You might not worry about what happens to your band, but I do! I know what Graupner's like, but you! I expected more from you!"

Graupner looked at Jackson to intervene, but he just shrugged. He knew better than to get involved when Jerad was in a mood like this.

Given that the atmosphere was at best, described as frosty, we decided Jerad and James should continue in the chevy. I saw Lou frown, until Ben G whispered something in her ear which made her giggle. She still hadn't told me what had happened on their little adventure, I was going to have to wait until Texas to find out, it seemed.

JOSH'S POV

It's exhausting trailing people and trying not to be noticed. I don't know how all my stalkers have the energy for this. But this wasn't exactly stalking.

When the storm came in I decided to stay over, lest Sweeney get any more restless. I reasoned I could wait another day until I saw Jane and told her everything. They'd probably be in Texas by now. Hopefully not with those jerks and especially not James.

As I sped along the freeway on the last part of my journey, I reasoned was going to have to do something drastic to get him out of the way.

JANE'S POV

I couldn't believe it was raining again! Surely the storm must have blown itself out by now?

I looked to the backseat to see Lou and the two Bens asleep again, but this time all wearing the Mother May's Whiskey T-shirts. Somehow they had ended up with five rather than four, but after giving it to Jerad as a peace offering he had thrown it back in disgust, much to the delight of Johnson.

Jackson kept on catching my eye in the mirror. It felt so good to be back with him again, and I was definitely warming to the 'friends with benefits' thing!

I felt warm and relaxed, and rested my ankles on the dashboard watching the torrents of rain wash across the highway. I gave a wave as James and Jerad overtook us, but only James waved back. Hopefully this drive would pass without incident! I let my eyes begin to close and began to think of Jackson and what i would do to him when i next got him alone...

"BANG! I looked up as the boy's car suddenly became a ball of light, a giant ball of flames exploded from the hood of their car. The back end swung out to the left, briefly sending the car into a spin in front of us. The adrenaline in my hears intensified like thunder, the chevy hit a rock on the side of the road, flipped, then came to rest on it's side.

"What the?"

"Shit!" Jackson hit the brakes, our car skidded, Lou and I were screaming, Jackson's knuckles were white on the steering wheel, our car veered to the right then came to a halt on the side of the road. "You guys OK?" Jackson shouted as he was half way out the car, the roar of the storm pounded the car, the rain lashed against the windscreen, it was hard to see or hear anything.

"Jane! Stay here with Lou, just stay in the car!" The Ben's and Jackson raced to the chevy, I sat there staring at the car, in shock. Lou was crying, trying to get out.

"I'm not staying here!" Before I could stop her, she was out the car, racing towards the accident. I followed, and I could just make out Jerad standing up, leaning on Ben G who was walking him away from the car. Thank god. "Hey, you OK? What happened?" He was cradling his wrist, the only other damage I could see was a trickle of blood sliding down his neck. "I don't know, I don't know!" Jerad was shaking and crying at the same time.

Lightning struck again, the rain was almost flying horizontal now, and the winds picked up. Luckily, it seemed to douse the flames on the car.

"Ben, get him in the car! Keep him warm!"

"Teddy? Teddy, can you hear me?" I could make out the shape of Lou, halfway into the wreck of the car. "Lou!" Jackson shouted, "Stand back, we need to roll the car to get him!"

She reluctantly stood back as Jackson and Ben managed to push the car back onto it's wheels.

"Teddy!" Lou was screaming and crying at the same time. I could see from where I was that he wasn't moving. Oh God, please no...

The storm gathered in its ferocity and volume, it was now hard to hear or see anything, let alone know what to do... all the time I could hear Lou screaming for Teddy over and over again. Then suddenly I saw headlights turn the corner, rushing towards us. I didn't know what to do, so flung myself out into he road, waved my arms and screamed as loud as I could. "Stop!"

A small sports car screeched to a halt just feet away from me. I ran to the drivers side,

"Josh! What the...? Help, we need help - there's been an accident, James is hurt..."

I didn't have time to think or register why the hell Josh was here, but we needed as much help as we could. And no one else was stupid enough to be on the road at this time... Josh raced to the chevy and helped the boys pull Teddy from the car.

"It's OK!" Jackson shouted to Lou, "He's breathing!"

Thank god.

"Get him in my car, I can get him to the hospital" Josh said to me, completely ignoring Jackson.

"OK, I'm coming too!" Lou followed the boys towards Josh's car. "No! There's no room for you! You want him to get hurt more?" Josh snapped at Lou. "Just get him in!"

"Jane, there's a motel about 5 miles back - empty your car and head there. Wait til the storm is out, I'll call you as soon as we're there".

"Josh! Let me come with you!" Lou pleaded.

"No!" With that Josh slammed his door shut, and sped away into the rain.

We unloaded the chevy as best we could and piled into the SUV. Graupner finally got his front seat, Lou sat in the middle, one arm wrapped around Jerad whose head rested on her shoulder, and me perched on Johnson's lap. All six of us sat in silence, listening to the rain pounding on the roof. I navigated my arm through the head rest in front of me and instinctively stroked the back of J's neck. Suddenly, i felt him tense up.

"What the fuck is Josh Groban doing here? Is he permanently attached to you now or something?" Jackson turned to me. Wow. I wasn't expecting that. I pulled away from him massaged my temples as I tried to figure this out. "I have no idea! I honestly don't know why he's here! We stayed with him the other day when were broken into but..."

"Yeah, I know, the photos have been all over the internet".

I ignored him: we were just all in shock, I told myself. Jesus, poor James, i shut my eyes and wished and prayed as hard as i could that he'd be ok. The whole reason he was with us because he was worried about us...well, Lou mainly i guess. He was the last person who deserved this.

No one said a word as Jackson carefully guided the SUV back on to the road and towards the motel.

We all booked into the last room they had, it didn't matter, it's not like any of us were going to sleep now... The boys had let Marty know what was going on, he was calling James' management. Lou and I were dialling Josh's number constantly throughout the night, but no answer, his phone was off. All sorts of thoughts were running through my head, what if they had another accident? What if Josh didn't get him there in time? It didn't bear thinking about. The longer we didn't hear from him, the more worked up we got. Lou was in a state, she couldn't sit still and was pacing the room, she was so wound up she had a cigarette.

Jackson phoned both our management companies, they told us to sit the storm out, and they'd try all the local hospitals. We tried all night, by morning we still hadn't heard from Josh or James, didn't know where they were, or how they were.

As the storm cleared we got our things together and checked out. We headed to the car, Ben G was standing there, pale, mouth hanging open.

"You're not going to believe this. Someones stolen everything. All our instruments are gone!"

**I'm loving hearing from you guys, and LOVE the suggestions! Thanks! It's going to get a bit more action-packed from here - well, it IS fan fiction after all ...;) I'll have the next one up in a couple of days... xoxo**


	21. Chapter 21

**All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.**

CHAPTER 21

LOU'S POV

Jackson stormed past me into the parking lot, looking around wildly. "What the FUCK?" he raged. Ben G had his hands to his head, looking like he was going to cry.

Ben J slammed his fists onto the bonnet of the SUV, making me jump. Jerad stood silently, cradling his wrist, but I could see he was trying to keep his anger in. I started to shake: I had never seen the monkeys like this. Their instruments were everything to them.

Jane lifted up the roof cover and screamed. "MOTHER FUCKERS!" Shit. That meant that ours had gone too, even after surviving a car wreck.

Jackson ran back into the motel room, saying he was going to call the police. Jane was taking out her frustration by kicking the wheels of the SUV. I took a tentative step towards her, "Jane, do you want a cig or something?"

"Not now Lou, for chrissakes!" she shouted. I stared blankly at her. I knew she wasn't angry at me, but still. I took a step back and walked on my crutches to sit down on the kerb. I was angry too, but after everything that had happened I just felt numb. Apart from my ankle, that is. I shouldn't have run on it last night, it was really hurting now and I was starting to space out on all the painkillers. Added to that the worry about James, mixed with Jerad's bombshell. I rubbed my ankle. Too many conflicting emotions. I just wanted to go home.

Jerad sat next to me on the kerb, and nudged me with his shoulder. "How are you feeling?" he said.

I shrugged. "I'm OK? How about you? I thought my brush with death was scary, but last night was something else!"

"My wrists still a bit sore but Jane did a good job patching up my neck"

"What about your guitars? Who would do this?"

He looked sad and tired. "Who would do any of the stuff that's been happening? The letters, the emails, your apartment. This is all so fucked up" he sighed, looking up at the sky.

Tell me about it" I murmured. I felt awkward. Jerad was sat inches away from me but it could have been a million miles away. I was still reeling at him shouting at me this morning over last night. Why was he so bothered I was hanging out with another guy? He hunched over his knees, staring at the floor. There were a million and one things I wanted to say to him, but couldn't.

I looked back over at the SUV. Ben G was slumped over the bonnet, his head resting on his arms. Ben J was pacing back and forth, whilst Jane stood to one side, furiously smoking a cigarette. Jackson was still inside the room.

I couldn't bear the tension any longer, feeling the emotion well up inside me like the storm we'd just driven through. "Jerad," I croaked, reaching out a tentative arm toward him.

He stayed looking at the floor. "Why did you do it, Lou?"

I looked at him blankly? "Sorry, why did I do what? Is this about the other night?" I began softly.

He looked up at me, his eyes shining. "Why did you go to him, Lou? Why did you go check HE was OK?"

I pulled back. He was talking about James. My throat started to close, "I, I, I don't know, I thought he was hurt..." It was so unlike me to be lost for words. "You, you looked OK, and I..."

He stayed hunched over, but his eyes were still fixed on me. "But why? You ran straight past me Lou, straight to him. Jackson was already seeing to him"

"Jerad, you were conscious and walking, Teddy could have been seriously hurt..." I stopped as I heard his sharp intake of breath at the mention of James' pet name.

He picked up a stone and flung it to the concrete "I can't believe you chose him" he muttered under his breath.

"Chose?" I exclaimed. "Jerad what the hell are you talking about?"

He stayed focused on the ground, scouring for more stones to scatter, "After everything I'd told you. After all that time we spent together, you still went to HIM when I needed you!"

I grabbed his arm to pull him up to face me, but he shrugged me off. A knot tightened deep in my stomach. I was going to have to admit what I'd been shying away from all this time.

"Jerad, I had no idea how you felt..."

His head sprung up, "That's total BULLSHIT Lou, and you know it! I told you quite a few times how I felt about you. And then you went and shoved it back into my face!"

"That's not true!" I cried. "I, I just wasn't sure..." I trailed off.

"Wasn't sure of what, Lou? Look, I got you this" he stuck a hand into his pocket and pulled out a small blue pouch, tossing it to me.

"What's this?" I said, holding it up.

"It's that stupid diamond spider you saw in St Louis, you know, the one the shop where I told you how much I liked you? REMEMBER?"

My fingers trembled over the blue velvet pouch, scared to open it. I suddenly realised how my indecision over how much I actually felt about Jerad must have looked to him: at every point where he'd made an effort, was nice to me, I ended up with James. At parties, in St Louis...and then last night I stayed out all night with his best mate.

Much as I tried to fight it, my voice came out as a low whine as I fought back tears, "I didn't know, what I felt for you...it was all so sudden..."

He let out a deep sigh and leaned forward onto his knees again, "You had ample opportunity to put the record straight after St Louis. How do you think I felt when you left with him after Jane's accident?"

I was confused, and angry. "And how do you think I felt when you told me you were getting MARRIED?" I yelled. He looked at me in astonishment.

"How can you look at me like that, Jerad? You told me only the other day you were getting married to your ex-girlfriend who you decided you were in love with after all and you're giving me grief for going off with James! He actually SHOWED me how he felt Jerad! He didn't play games, pretending to hate me one minute, trying to kiss me the next. He didn't blow hot and cold. I didn't know where I stood with you one day to the next. After St Louis you barely even spoke to me!"

"You're a fine one to talk about hot and cold Lou!" I stared at him blankly, "YOU never said anything after we spent the night together!"

Oh. Shit.

I couldn't believe I'd forgotten what had happened that night after me and Jane stage dived to Katy Perry. Jerad had caught me and...and...

I burst into tears. What kind of girl was I to drunkenly sleep with Jerad, and not only not remember it but then sleep with James the next night? No wonder he was pissed at me.

"The next day you just ignored me, as if nothing had happened. You just kept on looking at Jane's phone. And then when Jane got hurt, you disappeared with HIM...he couldn't wait to rub my face in it"

"Jerad, stop! I'm sorry, I don't know what happened! My mind just drew a blank somehow! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

My mind played a cruel trick on me as it started to fill in the blanks from that night. Jerad had carried me outside to get some air to sober me up and I'd lunged at him. I cringed at the memory of me reaching for him and drunkenly giving him a slobbery kiss. He'd laughed and wiped my mouth, then covered my face in kisses as he held me tight.

We somehow made it back to his room at the hotel, clinging to each other. I remember the butterflies in my stomach as we lay on his bed, his mouth over mine, my hands running up and down his muscly arms...his hands at the hem of my dress...my fingers tugging at his shirt...his bare chest... I'd had definitely wanted to be with him that night, the drink had given me the confidence to go for it. But in the cold light of the early morning, when I woke up still half cut, memories of Teddy still in my head, I'd staggered back to my room before I could process the events of the evening and passed out on my own bed. I thought I'd dreamt the whole thing.

I covered my face with my hands as I cried. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" I sobbed. He grabbed my wrists, and forced me to look at him.

"You left me Lou, you never said anything about what happened, and then James kindly informed me you spent the night in his room. Is it true, Lou? Did you spend the night with him?"

I was scared to tell him. His eyes softened, but his grip was still strong around my wrists, "Please tell me, is it true? I hit him and called him a liar..."

My crumpled expression told him all he needed to know. I expected him to storm off, but instead he let go of my hands, staring at me.

"I don't know why I didn't remember what happened Jerad and I'm sorry, but I'd got it into my head that you didn't want me...and that James did...and now you're getting married and I've lost you forever!" As I was about to burst into an angry hot mess of tears, Jerad lunged forward and pressed his lips to mine.

His hands grabbed the back of my head and our tears mixed together, as we angrily kissed each other. I couldn't believe I'd been so, so stupid.

But it was too late. I placed my hands over his and pulled back, "Jerad? Jerad, we can't..." I whispered. I felt him tremble as he briefly kissed me again.

I pulled back, "I'm sorry, but we can't. You know we can't. I'm sorry I was so stupid, but it's too late now. There's no benefit in going backwards."

He wiped his face and nodded. He held my hand in his, like he'd done that day in the shop. We stared into the distance for what seemed like hours, but was only a few seconds. Finally, he half laughed, half sobbed, getting my little 'joke'. "You're an idiot" he said, but he playfully punched me on the arm, before pulling me into a hug.

"I'm so sorry J", I whispered into his ear, "but I'm happy for you. I really am".

He cupped my chin and wiped away a tear rolling down my cheek. He kissed my forehead. I wasn't sure if I was forgiven or not. It was horrible what I had done, but the fact was Jerad was getting married now, and I couldn't stop it. It wasn't up to me to make that call.

Jerad stood up. "I should call Kristina, let her know I'm OK"

He pulled me up and put his hands on my arms, with a little smile. "Maybe, one day, when all this is over, we can both stop acting like jerks?"

I winced, and then punched him back. He pulled me into a hug, and helped me limp towards the group, as my fingers tightened around the blue velvet pouch.

JAMES' POV

The light was hurting my eyes. Everything ached. Where was I?

"Lou?" my voice croaked. I had a bare whisper of a memory of her calling my name, and rain falling on my face. Was it still raining now? There was something wet and warm on my cheek.

"Sweeney, get down!" said a voice from the ether. I tried to focus. A pair of dark brown eyes met mine. There was that wet and warm sensation again.

"Sweeney!" There was a noise. A bark? The weight I could feel on top of me shifted and there was more light. I tried to sit up, but there was still something keeping me down.

"Where am I? Where's Lou? The car..." My mind could not make sense of everything.

My question was met with silence. I turned my head, and could make out a black blob to my left. "Who are you? What's going on?"

"I think it's better we don't talk for now, don't you?" said the blob. I recognised the voice.

"Whuh?" I waited for my senses to snap back into place. In the back of my mind the events from the night before slowly came back, as if I was watching them on a big cinema screen.

The car. Jerad. The storm. The smell of petrol. Heat on my neck. A big bang. Spinning. Lou. Black. A dog? And now...what the...

"Josh? Is that Josh?"

I heard the blob sigh. My eyesight wavered and then the image became clearer. "Josh? What the hell man, what's going on?"

I was in the passenger seat of a car which was set to recline. I did a quick mental check: I was hurting but at least I could still feel. I wriggled my toes and fingers. Nothing was broken it seemed, but my head hurt like hell and my chest felt tight.

"You're fine, I'm getting you help. I just need to think first" said Josh, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Think? About what? Get me to a hospital man!"

He sighed again. "I just can't take you anywhere. How would it look, me taking James Franco into an emergency room? I've rung ahead to a private clinic, it's just a few miles away"

"Dude, it doesn't matter. Just drop me off at a hospital, I'll probably be out before the paps arrive"

Silence.

"Josh? Please take me to a hospital. I don't know what's going on but I don't feel great man. Please"

Silence.

"Why are you with Jane and Lou?" he said under his breath.

"What? I've just been in a car crash and you're asking about those two?"

"Why are you with them? Why do you know them? Who are those guys you were with?"

"Man, none of this matters just get me to a goddam hospital! You'll have more than paps to worry about if I die in your car!"

Silence.

LOU'S POV

The police arrived a few hours later. The bright southern sky was starting to turn dark and cloudy again, and there was a threatening presence in the air. Everything felt too hot, I felt uncomfortable in my skin and my head hurt. My lips stung after Jared's rough kiss. I was on the end of my prescription and was coming down off the the painkillers. The amount of booze I'd consumed last night wasn't helping either.

I was laying in the back of the SUV, listening to the conversations outside. The front door opened and Jane climbed into the front seat.

"Why are you so calm? Why are you not more upset about this?" she said, kneeling in the seat to look back at me.

"You think I'm not upset?" I said, raising my head. "In the past week someone's trashed our apartment, I'd forgotten I'd spent the night with Jerad who decided to remind me only AFTER he'd told me he was getting married, I've just seen the guy I'm crazy about nearly die in a ball of flames, I have no idea where he is, someone's stolen the only thing in my life I hold dear and to top it off I've had to wear bloody tracksuit bottoms everyday because of my shitting ankle and you think I'm not upset! I'm a pent up ball of rage! It's just the tramadol keeping me down. Once this has worn off I'm going to tear this state apart until we get our instruments back!"

Jane stifled a giggle. She knew I wasn't being serious, and poked my arm through the divide on the seats. "Sorry dude. I know you're upset, it's just that if someone even so much as looks at your drumsticks you threaten to kill them!"

I sighed. "I am angry, I am. I'm just so tired of everything that's happened. I don't have the energy any more."

She rolled her eyes. "It's cos of the painkillers, honestly!" I said, "If it weren't for those we'd have ripped this place to the ground with our bare hands by now and offered Johnson as a sacrifice to the gods in return for Isabelle!"

"Isabelle's safe, she was with Annabelle. There were in the room with us, as were your favourite drumstricks," she said, passing them to me with a smile. "It's just the other kit and the Monkeys' stuff that's gone. The police are checking the CCTV footage now."

"Do you think it's linked to the threats and stuff?"

She closed her eyes and her bottom lip wobbled. I sat up and touched her shoulder, "Jane, I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you cry, it's just too much of a coincidence"

She looked up at me through her tears, not bothering to wipe them away. "I just want it to stop!"

I felt myself tremble too. Usually we weren't as highly strung as this, but I think in this instance we were allowed to be a bit teary.

I nodded, and let the tears fall too. Suddenly, the passenger door opened and Jane and I immediately went to hide our faces. Jackson clambered into the car and shut the door.

"The police think they've got a lead. There's a car on the CCTV which they're trying to locate. But there's another storm warning, we've been told to stay here another night."

"Oh god, we've got to spend another night with YOU?" Jane said in exasperation. I laughed so hard that it triggered my tears again. This set off Jane too, a mixture of hysterical laughter and tears.

Jackson tried to soothe her, "Shh darlin', shhh. I'll try and keep Johnson awake so he doesn't snore, and well, we'll make sure Graupner takes a bath tonight at the very least"

This just set us off again. After we had finally calmed down, Jane and Jackson shared a look, before she let out a sigh. "Knowing our luck, lightning will probably strike the motel room. Or a serial killer will try and get us while we sleep"

Jackson raked a hand through his hair, "Believe me, with Johnson's snoring we won't be getting much sleep. Or if we, y'know..." he said with a wink.

"Eww J! I'm still here! Gross!" I said, tapping him on the head.

A clap of thunder broke outside and there was a flash as the rain fell. The car shook as the storm closed in. I looked out the window, "We should probably head inside"

A few hours later we were holed up in our motel room, listening to the storm rage outside. The only light came from the occasional flash of lightning and the flickering candles we had set up whilst the electric out. In true monkey fashion, we were passing a bottle of Jim Beam around and making up songs. We still had three guitars plus Jackson's harmonica, and Ben J was making us laugh by trying to drum with my crutches.

Jackson and Jane were sharing a blanket sat on the bed, with Ben G sprawled out beside them. The rest of us were sat on the floor, messing around on the instruments.

Ben G threw a cheese puff at Jerad, "Hey man, we should talk about your bachelor party!" Jerad looked bashful as Johnson and Jackson let out a woo-hoo!

"Nah, I don't think so, it's weeks away" he said, throwing it back at him.

I spluttered on my scotch. Weeks? He had not mentioned that earlier. Wow, he moved fast. I fought to dampen my disappointment. He was slipping away from me with every moment.

"Err, Lou, will you accompany me to the restroom for some girl time?" said Jane, emerging from the blanket. Jackson pouted and tugged on her waistband, trying to pull her back under, before letting her go.

She helped me up off the floor, and opened the door to the bathroom.

"Ladies, don't leave on account of J-Rad being a helpless romantic! You can play at the wedding!" said Ben G, still lying on his back. Jerad stood up and touched my arm, "Sorry, I asked them not to talk about it in front of you"

"I'm fine, J, honestly. I'm just going to fill Jane in on everything" we shared a smile,

"Hey Lou" shouted Ben G, "How open are you to the possibility of a threesome? I know Jerad would love it!"

"Graupner, there's more chance of that happening then you getting laid in the next 10 years!" I said over my shoulder. The guys laughed as Jane helped me into the bathroom, lighting more candles as I propped myself up against the bath. She grabbed another bottle of Jim Beam from the side and waggled her finger at the boys from the doorway, "Now you guys behave yourselves while I console Lou here!"

"Yeah!" I shouted from the floor, "I'm devastated! It should have been meeeeeeeeeeee Jerad!" I heard more laughter as Jane shut the door and sat opposite me.

She opened the bottle and took a swig, "Seriously though, how are you with Jerad getting married?"

I reached over to take the bottle from her, "If I didn't laugh, I'd cry" . I filled her in on how I'd 'forgotten' I'd spent the night with Jerad in St Louis.

"I kinda guessed that's what had happened. You stumbled into the room and interrupted me and Jackson...I did wonder where you'd been that night, seeing as James was still in the bar after you'd left!"

I took another glug of whisky, "No more drinking! It makes me crazy!"

"Ahhh yes, your 'other man'! We have lots to talk about I understand? Why is it I only find out about everything days after the event?"

"I dunno? Makes for a good story I guess?"

"Stop stalling. Did you freak out at James' again?"

"No, not this time. It was cool this time"

"Did you, y'know, 'rock the casbah?"

I laughed, "With this balloon on the end of my leg? Do you even know when the last time was when I shaved my legs? The photoshoot! I'm a yeti at the moment!"

"So, what happened?"

I shrugged, "Nothing. We stayed up and talked, watched films. He said the fight with Jerad was just guys messing around."

"That's what Jackson said" she replied, glancing to the door.

I punched her on the arm to break her out of her daydream. "Looks like you've bagged yourself a movie star boyfriend though!"

She shrugged, and smiled into her next slug of whiskey.

"Have you heard anything from Josh today? I tried him again earlier" I asked, grabbing the bottle back.

Again, she shook her head. "No, I've tried about 20 times. They've probably holed up somewhere to shelter from the storm. There would have been something on the radio if James had got into trouble"

I bit my lip. I was worried about him. I'd seen a different side to him when I was at his house. He was more open and honest. Not at all like the James I had gotten to know on the road. "Oh my god, I didn't tell you about him and Josh!"

Jane sat bolt upright, "God, no! What happened? What's the story there?"

I shifted to a more comfortable position. "Get this, they went to school together"

"I knew that already! But why did James warn us about Josh? That's what I can't understand"

"Well, apparently they used to be mates, like really good friends. Until they both fell for the same girl..."

"You are KIDDING me! Seriously!"

I nodded solemnly. Jane changed her expression, "Oh...this doesn't sound like it ends well"

I told her what James had told me. Back in high school, Josh and James had had a friendly rivalry: they were both at a performing arts school and were top of their respective classes. That is, until a new girl started at their school. Both James and Josh fell for her, but she chose James and they'd dated. Josh took it badly, and things had got nasty.

"How so?" Jane was starting to look worried.

"Well, she became the victim of a hate campaign, nothing too bad at first. Someone toilet papered the house, left her notes, that sort of thing"

Jane snorted. "Sounds familiar!"

I looked at her in the eye "You don't even know the HALF of it..."

**Like i said, i going to get a bit more dramatic ;) Please continue to send me your thoughts, it means a lot!**

**If you don't have a log in here, i'm on twitter: 'at'beatty_street ) **

**Until next time...! xx**


	22. Chapter 22

****CHAPTER 22

**All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.**

JAMES' POV

The car came to a screeching halt outside a small, gray building. I let out a moan as I was jolted in my seat.

"You ok to walk?" said Josh, looking through the rain out of the window.

"Yeah, sure, whatever, I just want to get out of here" I said, unbuckling my seatbelt. He said something to his dog as I gingerly got out of the car. The storm was still raging. I winced as I walked to the gates of the building, my ribs were aching.

Josh pressed the buzzer, "Heartwood Forest Clinic, how may I help?"

"Hi, I rang earlier with the, uh, special case?"

The gate buzzed open.

The reception of the clinic was modern and spacious, with dark leather couches and glass top coffee tables.

An orderly in white scrubs came through a set of doors, pushing a wheelchair, accompanied by a young girl with a clipboard. She smiled.

"Mr Franco? We've been expecting you, please let Thierry here take you through to the Triage area"

I sat in the chair. To my surprise, Josh came with me. As the orderly helped me onto a bed, Josh paced the floor of the room.

"Very gentlemanly of you to accompany me, Grobster" I said, trying to get comfortable. Again, I was met with silence. "What is this place anyway?"

The young woman returned. "We're a private clinic for those who require more privacy than others. Mr Franco, are you able to fill out these forms before the Triage nurse arrives? I can assure you anything which happens on these premises will stay on these premises"

I looked at Josh who nodded. As I filled in the forms I scowled at him. "So, do you come here to get your balls reattached or something?"

He glared, "I didn't have to bring you here, you know. I could have just dumped you at any old ER. The press would have had a field day"

"So, why did you bring me here? Nostalgia?"

He crossed his arms. "For Lou. And Jane. They're my friends..."

I laughed, "Yeah, sure. Tell me, where you friends before or after you got them a record deal?"

He walked to the side of the bed, "Not that I have to tell you, but before. Jane and I, we used to, I mean, we still ARE..."

I shook my head "What are you on about man? Still crazy, I see"

Josh fumed. "I am not crazy" he said through gritted teeth, "I am very close to Jane. We were together a while ago but then stuff happened to pull us apart, and I was trying to rectify that if you hadn't turned up again and took her away"

"I didn't take her away, I just went with them to Texas. I spent the whole summer with them on tour"

"HOW do you know them? Who was the guy I saw Jane with?"

"Why does it bother you so much?"

He rushed up to the side of the bed, gripping the rail. "I told you, Jane are I are about to get back together. Who is he?"

Anger flashed in his eyes.

LOU'S POV

Jane's eyes widened. "What happened?"

Suddenly there was a banging on the door. "Are you guys OK in there? Do you want some J-Action to come in and protect you from the storm?" said Jackson from the other side of the door.

"Shhhh! She's telling me a story!" said Jane, "We'll be out in a minute!" I heard Jackson mumble something. Jane turned back to me, "Go on, what happened?"

"So she was getting these notes and stuff, horrible things left in her locker. She told James she thought she was being stalked."

"But by who?"

We both tightened up grip on the pillows we were holding.

"James said he thought it was Josh"

"SHUT. UP! Noooooooo! There's no way Josh would do something like that!"

I nodded, "That's what I said. He's too nice a guy. But he said Josh started to act really weird. He wrote lots of songs about her, and would send tapes to her."

"But that doesn't make him a stalker! Just a bit love sick"

"James said he thought the pieces seem to fit. So he warned Josh off, but he denied it, but that just made things between them worse. They had a fist fight, and Teddy got suspended."

Jane pushed the pillow up to her face and squealed a little bit.

"After that, the hate campaign seemed to stop, and Josh stopped sending her tapes and stuff. So a few months go by, and the relationship's going nowhere so Teddy breaks it off with her. They were teenagers, you know how it is. But then the hate campaign started up again almost immediately. And it got worse. She was home alone one night and was attacked: all the windows got smashed in, and she got cut with a knife. Not stabbed, but a knife was slashed across her arm."

Jane gulped. "By who?"

"They don't know. She didn't see. Teddy told the police he thought it was Josh and he was questioned"

"JOSH WAS ARRESTED! Jesus, he never told me any of this!"

"Not arrested, questioned. But Josh had an alibi so he wasn't arrested. But he was pretty pissed off with Teddy..."

Jane put the pillow down, "When was the last time Josh and James saw each other?" she asked.

"Just after Josh was taken in by the police. He confronted Teddy and there was another fight. They had to be pulled apart. The girl turned up and started screaming, so Teddy took her home. She said she was terrified of Josh and begged Teddy to stay the night with her, so he did. But it got weird with her, so he slept downstairs. But luckily he did, otherwise he wouldn't have heard the noise outside and gone out to investigate. As he went outside there was an bang, and he realised there was a fire upstairs. As he raced around the side of the house, he ran into Josh"

"HOLY SHIT LOU! Josh has had a grudge against James for years and we've let him get into a car with a potential psycho!" She grabbed her phone, "We should call the police! No wonder Josh isn't responding"

I put my hand out, "There's something else you need to know first"

_THIRTEEN YEARS EARLIER_

_JAMES POV_

_There was a bang. Glass shattered onto the front lawn. Flames burst from the upstairs window. Fire. Fire where Charlotte was._

_Blood pumped into my ears. I ran back to back door to try and get back in. I had to get her out. I ran. I ran right into Josh._

_He fell backwards. I jumped on top of him and swung my fist into his face, "What are you doing here? What have you done to Charlotte!"_

_"Nothing! Nothing! I came here to see if she was ok!"_

_I leapt off him. There was no time for this. I could hear her screams from inside the house. I ran into the house. Smoke was everywhere. Fire was spreading down the stairs. Smoke overcame me._

_"Charlotte? Charlotte? Where are you?" I felt dizzy, and fell to my knees. A hand was on my shoulder, pulling me backwards. I tried to resist, but felt weak. I was coughing and spluttering, the smoke stung my eyes._

_Josh pulled me back out into the cool, dark night. I felt the wet grass beneath me. _

_"Are you crazy?" He said breathlessly, "You could have been killed!"_

_"I had to get to Charlotte!" I said, between coughs. _

_He pointed to the fire, "There is no way you would have got through that! You would have been killed!"_

_Charlotte's neighbours came rushing into the garden. They told us they had called the fire department. No one had seen Charlotte._

_The fire engine came. It put out the flames. Charlotte's parents came home, with her younger sister. We had to tell them Charlotte was inside when the fire started. We had to tell them she was gone. Her sister was dumbstruck._

_Her mom pulled her into a hug, "It'll be OK Josephine, it'll be OK" she murmured softly into her hair._

LOU'S POV

"Oh my god, she died? In the fire? That poor girl" said Jane. "But who started it?"

I paused. "She did"

Jane frowned. "What? But that doesn't make sense. How? Why?"

"The fire department did an investigation. The fire started in her bedroom, but the door was locked from the inside. There was no way someone else could have started it."

"But why? And what about everything else? She tried to kill herself?"

"They looked closely at the notes and everything else from the day before, when she was attacked. They were in her handwriting. They think she faked the whole thing for attention, and it seemed to add up"

"But the attack...?"

"They think she must have had someone help her, who sliced her arm. It was only a superficial cut, so whoever did it must have not wanted to actually hurt her. But they never found out who. But after Teddy and Josh's fight they think she wanted to do something dramatic. Teddy told the police when they went back to hers, she started acting weird, and tried to seduce him. He rejected her, and she went crazy and started to smash up the room. So he went downstairs whilst she calmed down, which is when he went outside."

"But, why was Josh there?"

"He said he'd just gone there to check she was OK. Before the attack, she'd done a similar thing. She rang him and begged him to come over, and then told him she was scared Teddy was stalking her after they split up and really she wanted to be with Josh all along. But he'd moved on, and said no. Then the attack, and when that didn't get the attention she wanted, she must have started the fire and hope either Josh or James would come to her rescue. But it got out of control and she couldn't get out in time."

"That's terrible!"

"Apparently she had pulled a similar stunt at her old school, so the family moved to start afresh. But she was desperately unhinged, always acting up. Josh and Teddy didn't see each other again after that, Josh moved to L.A to be in Ally McBeal. But Teddy said he thought Josh must have blamed him in some way for Charlotte's death, for taking him away from her and then not looking after her. He thought he could have saved her, I guess"

Jane hunched her shoulders and stared at the bottle of Jim Beam. She drew a deep breath. "That's heavy. Wow. Just, wow."

"That's not the end of it."

"What? There's more? Seriously?"

"It's fucked up dude. Charlotte had a younger sister, who was at the same school as James and Josh. And Jackson"

"Jackson? Jackson went to school with James and Josh? He never said!"

"They didn't know each other. James and Josh are a few years older. But James saw Charlotte's sister Josephine around occasionally. He took her for a coffee a while after he graduated. She had a huge crush on a boy in her year who didn't know she existed..."

"Please, don't tell me..."

"Yup. Josephine had a huge crush on Jackson at school. Or, Monroe as he was called back then. James just gave her some brotherly advice, and figured she must have grown out of it because her best friend started to date him."

Jane frowned, "Wait, what was the sister's name?"

"Josephine. JoJo for short"

"JoJo? JoJo is Charlotte's sister! What the...Does Jackson know?"

"He didn't know JoJo at school. James told him when her and Heather went on tour that they went to the same school, but Jackson just tolerated her because she was Heather's mate. Must have just dismissed it as a school girl crush"

"God, she's been through the mill. Hopefully she's not as troubled as her sister..."

We both stopped and looked at each other as everything began to fall into place.

**Thanks to everyone for their support and thoughts so far, it means so much to me! Please let me know what you think, there's plenty more in store!**

**I'm always looking to meet Monkey fans, if you're not logged in here I'm 'at' beatty_street on twitter :-)**

**xoxo**


	23. Chapter 23

**Sorry for the delay, it's been quite a week! As usual, any resemblance to people alive or otherwise is a coincidence!**

CHAPTER 23

JANE'S POV

This was just too much to take in. Lou and I sat in silence as it all began to make sense. "The notes in the apartment!"

"Yep" Lou nodded solemnly.

"My guitar exploding?"

"Yup"

"You getting attacked? The exploding car?"

"Well, with that one, I'm not so sure...I mean, the girls haven't been around the Monkeys, I don't see how they could have done ALL those things..."

Lou jumped up suddenly, "We need to talk to the guys, we won't be able to handle this on our own."

"True" I said, biting my lip, "but first I need to speak to Ol' Jacko about Josh..."

"Ahh. Good luck with that one."

After the storm quietened down, I took Jackson for a walk. It took me a while to explain to him my friendship with Josh, but that's all it was, friendship. Luckily, he understood. Apparently, who ever had been leaving him notes, had also decided to leave a few choice paparazzi-style shots of Josh and I out and about in LA. When I heard this I started to freak out, I didn't want to cry in front of Jackson _again, _but the tears began to fall.

"Sshhh, darlin'" He held my face in his hands and held my gaze, it was hard not to feel scared when those eyes were on you. "I'm not letting you out of my sight, darlin'. You're staying with me, from now on. Besides, it would make a great story at the wedding" He winked at me.

"WEDDING?"

"Calm down darlin', I don't mean _tomorrow_. But like it or not, I'm afraid you're stuck with me"

"Well, I guess I'll have to deal with that". I couldn't help smiling as we walked back to the room, hand in hand. I already felt lighter, and definitely safer now we were with Jackson and the Monkeys again. That feeling soon left me when I saw the others.

We opened the hotel room, and was met by silence. The Ben's, Jerad and Lou were all sat on the end of the bed staring back at us. I couldn't read the looks on their faces, although I could tell Lou had been crying. This was strange.

"What's happened?"

"Josh called you" Lou handed me my phone, at the same time i felt Jackson's hand tighten around mine. "Well, what did he say? Is James OK?"

"I don't know" Lou's voice started to wobble, I could tell she was just on the edge, like me. She handed me the phone. "He says he'll only talk to you...Jane, I'm worried, he doesn't sound himself".

"That's 'cause he's bat-shit crazy!" Ben G nearly exploded.

Woah, the atmosphere in here had certainly changed. By the looks on their faces, Lou had already explained James' theory.

I took a deep breath. "OK, here's what we do. I'm going to go and call Josh, find out what's going on, and find James. He needs to be back here with us, agreed?" I didn't wait for an answer. "Guys, I need you to explain to J what Lou has just told you."

I turned towards Jackson and pulled him towards me. Hopefully he wouldn't get too freaked out, although I wasn't looking forward to him finding out just what Heather and JoJo had been up to.

"Give me five minutes"

LOU'S POV

_Two years in the future..._

_I bounced the giggling baby on my knee. He was absolutely adorable, I just couldn't get enough of him. I planted a big kiss on his chubby cheeks and sniffed the top of his head. There really was nothing like that baby powder smell. I hadn't ever really liked kids, I'd never seen them in my future, but then you can never tell, can you? Since this little dude had arrived, my priorities were definitely starting to shift._

_"Hey! How's my awesome dude?" I turned to see Graupner enter the room and bound over to me and the baby, who squealed in delight as Ben swooped him up and dangled him above his head._

_"Careful, he might puke on you again!" I said, smiling at Ben. I loved it when he showed his softer side._

_"Aw, I don't mind, The Dude can puke on me how ever many times he wants!" Ben was the first to start calling him The Dude; hardly anyone called him by his real name. He lowered the baby and started jiggling him in his arms, as The Dude's pudgy little arms reached for the shades on top of his head. "Whoah little dude, I said you could puke on me but don't touch my shades, your mom got me those!" He beamed at me and we shared a smile._

_I heard a voice call out from the hall way "Hello? Anyone in?"_

_"In here Jane!" I called back, moving to the kitchen. I could guess what the next words out of her mouth would be._

_"Could I get a..."_

_"Coffee?" I said, placing the mug into her hands. _

_She sighed, "Thanks Lou! I needed this!"_

_"You ALWAYS need a coffee when you've pulled an all-nighter in the studio!" I laughed. She took a sip and smiled, and turned her attention to Ben and the baby._

_She walked over and ruffled the baby's head, giving Ben a quick kiss. "And how are my favourite guys?" she said, letting the baby grasp her finger._

_"Gassy. But The Dude here is fine!" Jane and I rolled our eyes, he always made the same joke._

_Jane sat down and put the mug to one side, and opened up her arms "Here" she said, gesturing for the baby, who was now sucking on Ben's wedding ring. He laughed as he wiped the slobber off and passed the baby to Jane._

_"Careful, he might swallow that one day" I said, carrying two more mugs from the kitchen._

_"Then his dad will have to fork out for another one, since he lost the original on my wedding day!" he said, twisting the band around his finger._

_Jane giggled and cooed at the baby on her lap, his small hands patting her face. "How has he been? Did he sleep OK?"_

_"Ben, or the baby?" I joked. "Both were fine. He was a good as gold"_

_"Awww, you didn't miss me Little Man?" she said, bouncing him on her knee._

_I sat down next to her. The Dude burped, and then dribbled down Jane's arm. She quickly wiped it away, before it reached the scar on her forearm. We both stopped for a moment looking at her arm. It seemed like so long ago since that night in Texas, but then hardly any time at all. "Don't think about it" she said gently, "I don't. Besides, I like to think if that night never happened, then this Little Dude wouldn't have come abo__ut! And don't forget this!" she held up her wrist displaying the brand new small black horseshoe tattoo identical to mine, just on the opposite arm._

_I smiled, pushing back the memories of that night. Somedays it still felt raw. "Anyway," I said brightly, "We both know I'm his favourite!"_

_"Ha! Think you'll have a hard fight against Graupner! Besides, he's a real daddy's boy"_

_I reached out and ruffled the baby's dark curls. "You know, with that hair he almost looks like..."_

_Jane cut me off, "DON'T you dare go there!" She was joking, of course. You only had to look at the baby's distinctive eyes to know who his dad was._

_Jane stayed silent as she looked at her scar again. She said she didn't think about it, but I knew she always had that constant reminder of the night she nearly died for the second time. And the night we lost someone dear to us._

JOSH'S POV

I couldn't sit still. I was pacing back and forth beside my car, still in the car lot outside the hospital. What have I got myself into? This has just got all so fucked up, and now I don't know what to do...

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket; it was her.

"Hello?"

"Josh! What the hell is going on? Where are you? Are you OK?"

"Yes, I'm OK, we're...we're not far away."

"So you're still with James? Is he OK? I don't get this, Josh, I'm worried."

"Don't be...Jane? It's me, remember? I'm not going to hurt you..."

Silence.

"Josh? Just tell me what's going on." I could hear she was starting to cry. Whatever I do, I just can't get it right, dammit.

"Meet with me. I'll explain everything. Look, James is OK - he's getting released today, he's just a little bruised..."

"I don't know, Josh... we're meant to be playing in Texas in a few days, remember?"

"I'll meet you there. Then that's it, we'll talk, then I'll leave you alone. Just give me one more chance."

"OK - just get James to call Lou, she's shitting bricks over here. We're all pretty freaked out here, Josh. That was a pretty bad accident the boys survived..."

"I know, I'll fix it, I promise."

JANE'S POV

I opened the door to the room to find Ben J and Jerad sat on the floor with mine and Jackson's guitars. Lou was sat on the end of the bed, biting her nails, Ben G sat silently, one arm draped over her shoulders.

"Where's Jackson?"

"He's gone for a walk. I've told them everything, you know, about freaky-deaky Jo Jo... How's James? Is he coming here?"

"I think so..." I was beginning to get a headache. When did this all get so complicated? Lou looked on the edge of tears and I'd never seen these boys look so miserable. I couldn't help but think if nothing had ever happened between Jackson and I, Lou and I wouldn't be in this mess right now. Lou wouldn't have a broken ankle for a start, I wouldn't have been electrified, and James, poor James, wouldn't be kidnapped. Josh... well, I couldn't go there right now.

"I need a drink" I took Jerad's Jack Daniels off him and downed it in one.

No one was saying a word; it was beginning to piss me off.

I ignored them all and poured myself another. I finished that one as quickly as the first. Jackson still hadn't come back, I know this was a lot to deal with, but Lou and I didn't ask for this either...and what about the other boys? They already had to deal with being part of a band that would forever be fronted by a 'Twilight Star'... they were just normal, lovely guys that just wanted to play music. After all, isn't that why we're all here in the first place? No one asked for this. This is what Lou and I had worked so hard for, and we were finally on tour, heading to Texas. I suddenly realised how much I was to blame for the two of us ending up in this mess. All for a stupid romance. I was really beginning to feel the whiskey, I felt dizzy, but at the same time, felt I was on top of a revelation.

Another half an hour must have passed by when we suddenly heard girls screaming from outside somewhere...

"Jasper! Sign this!"

"Jackson, I love you!"

"Oh, Jesus." I said as I began to pour myself another. The door opened, the screaming got louder for a brief second then went quiet as Jackson entered the room. I caught his eye for a moment, but turned away.

"You OK man?" Ben J asked as he handed Jackson a beer.

"Yeah, needed to think", I could feel him looking at me, and trying to catch my eye. But that just seemed to piss me off more. And still no one was saying anything. I couldn't stay quiet any longer.

"Why is everyone so dramatic? Look at yourselves, it's not like anyone died or anything!"

As soon as that came out my mouth I realised I'd gone too far. Fuck, I had forgotten about the Charlotte thing. Fuck.

I looked at Jackson, he was pale and looked exhausted and hurt, but then I lost focus as he slowly blurred into two people.

I could feel everyone's eyes on me. My head was really beginning to spin now. Lou got off the bed and grabbed my arm to steady me. "Leave me!" I raised my voice at her, and shook her off. I just didn't care anymore. "I need some air" I pushed past her and left the room. As soon as I got outside the cold air hit me like a brick wall.

After that, it was all a blur. I remember Jackson coming after me, I vaguely remember arguing with him, him telling me, yes, this was all his fault, and he cried, and I cried, he said we should go on a break until this is over, I angrily said why not make it permanent, and then unfortunately, I believe I puked all over his shoes.

JOSEPHINE'S POV

_I followed the torrent of students through the school's front doors. It was my first day as a junior, and I was determined to make it this year. I had set my alarm an hour earlier than I needed, washed, blow dried and straightened my hair, and dressed in my favourite new turtle neck and denim skirt. I was sick of being shy, sick of always being in the shadows. My sister Charlotte was on the cheerleading team, and had loads of boyfriends already. She had helped me pick out my outfit, and was gonna pick me up after school in her new car mom had just bought her. With her on my side, I could be as equally as popular. _

_I held my head high as I strode through the front doors. This was a new school, the big time. This is where I would shine. I headed to homeroom, at the other end of the corridor. Just then the school bell rang and the throng of students behind me surged forward, trying to get to class in time. I tried to get out of the rush, as I did I lost my footing and felt myself fall forwards, landing with a SMACK! on the floor, my bag and books flew out in front of me. Oh god, I stayed there for a moment glued to the floor, I hurt like hell, and was trying to ignore the laughs and sniggers around me. Great. Suddenly a hand reached down towards me, "Here, darlin' you ok? That looked like a nasty fall..." _

_"Um, yeah thanks, I..."_

_And at the moment I looked up into the most gorgeous emerald green eyes I'd ever seen, and knew my life would change forever. _

"Hey! Newbie!" Gary, the sound engineer shouted at me.

Geez, I wish he'd stop calling me like that. Just learn my name, dammit, it's not hard. Why am I so forgettable to everyone? I'd been here a week, and hardly anyone had spoken to me. Probably for the best, though. I didn't need these people to know me, there's only one person's attention I was craving, and soon I was going to get it.

"New girl! I need the amp on the left of the stage, like, yesterday!"

"ON it!" I called back to him. I rolled up my sleeves and began to get to work. I felt my body break into a sweat the second I walked out into the Texas sun. This was the most exhausting job yet, mainly because I had to deal with assholes like my latest boss, Gary. Fat, balding, surrounded by the bitterness of his failed career as a musician, resigned to the fact that he'll only ever be backstage. Not me. Just one more day. One more day before I see him again, and then he'll notice me, and we can finish this.

I stayed out of Gary's way for the rest of the day, familiarising myself with the place. I now had a copy of almost every key to the artist's trailers, two more to go. No one had been assigned to one yet, so I covered as much of tracks as I could. My sister's gonna be so proud of me. And, Jackson, when he finally realises how much I care about him, how far I'd go to have him, he'll be proud of me too.

As I headed to my car at the end of the day, I heard my cell beep in my purse. I knew who the text was from before I looked at the screen.

Aug 16, 18.35

Tomorrow is D Day. They arrive. ALL of them.

Next step is the dog, get rid. Make it look like he did it. They won't believe he's innocent now.

Nearly done, I'm proud of you.

C x

**What's going to happen to the girls and the guys once they get to Texas? What has Josh done, and will Jane and Jackson be able to work through their differences? And just who is the mysterious 'C'? Love to hear your thoughts, don't forget to look for me on twitter too! Monkey Junkie forever!**

**BT**

**xox**


	24. Chapter 24

**All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.**

CHAPTER 23

LOU'S POV

Jane and I drove in silence to Texas. The storm never came. At least the one outside. So we decided to travel separately as James was going to meet us in Texas. The record company sorted us out with an extra car, and were going to deliver replacement instruments to the festival. At least one thing had turned out OK. The police said they were going to continue the investigation into the theft, so we'd have to hang tight to see what they'd come up with.

I drummed my fingers on the wheel as Jane tried to sleep. She had a Jack Daniel's hangover, and they are the worst, she probably felt dreadful. That and the fact she'd puked all over her boyfriend's shoes. Rather, now on-a-break-boyfriend. Or ex. I wasn't sure.

As we loaded up the cars to leave that morning, Jane had purposefully kept her distance from Jackson. She refused to speak to anyone, other than monosyllabic grunts. After the puking incident, I put her to sleep and ordered the guys to keep quiet and get some sleep before the next day of travelling. When I woke up, she had already loaded her stuff into the car and was waiting outside for me to get my stuff together, chain smoking furiously.

Ben G helped me to put my stuff into the roof rack, whilst Jackson glowered at us from his SUV. He hugged me before I hopped into the driver's seat. "Will you be OK driving on that ankle?" he asked, giving my arm a quick squeeze.

"Yeah, it's feeling a lot better today and I shouldn't rest it too much. Will you be OK without me?" I teased. He had slept next to me all night, making sure I had water and painkillers within reach.

He gave a slight smile and brushed a strand of hair from eyes. I trembled. Hang on, what was going on? I looked up at him, when I suddenly jumped at the sound of the car horn. Jane had reached across and blared the horn to get my attention, but hid her eyes behind her sunglasses, saying nothing.

I shrugged, "Guess I need to be going then!"

He moved to say something, but Ben J reached over his shoulder, "Take it easy Lou, see you on the other side" he said, bumping his fist with mine.

Jerad hovered nearby, not wanting to move too far from Jackson. I waved, and he gave a quick one back. I didn't want to say it, but this felt like the final goodbye and this was not the way I had wanted it to go.

Jane jumped out of the car and stormed her way back into the room, "Can we get a move on please?" she muttered under her breath as she went to retrieve more cigarettes.

When she came back out she paused and looked over in Jackson's direction, which seemed to set him off.

"Jane!"

He rushed around the car door and lunged towards us, but was help back by Jerad and Ben J.  
>"Not like this Jane! For fuck's sake!" I had never seen him so angry.<p>

Jane stuck out her chin and simply got back into the car, but I saw her lower lip tremble slightly. Jerad had his hand on Jackson's chest, trying to push him into the car. He looked over his shoulder back at me, "You should go".

I nodded and got behind the wheel.

A few hours later, I snuck a quick glance at my phone, to see if James had text me back. He still hadn't replied to any of my texts. I hoped he was making his way to Texas. A few more hours and we'd be there. I dreaded what was ahead. I'd had a lot of time to think.

I leant over and prodded Jane's arm. She moaned and removed her sunglasses. Her eyes were red and puffy. "Are we there yet?"

"Couple more hours I think? I'm going to stop at the next place though, I'm hungry. You"

"Not bothered"

"Jane?"

Silence.

I sighed heavily. "Jane come on, talk to me. I gather things didn't go well with Jackson. He and Jerad locked themselves in the bathroom for an hour after you fell asleep. They're such girls. Although he may have just been washing the puke out of his shoes"

She groaned and leaned forward on the dashboard, "Please, please shut up about it. There's nothing else to say. Me and Jackson are over".

I nearly slammed on the brakes. "What do you mean, over? OVER, over?"

Keeping her head forward, she spoke to me through her hair, "Yes, over OVER! I don't want to put up with this shit anymore."

"But that's not Jackson's fault?"

"Oh get over it Lou, in one way or another it always comes back to Jackson. I've been through it before, I'm not doing it again, I just want to move on."

"This is nothing like what happened with Stenna! This is just some..."

"...some crazy bitch who wants me dead because she wants my man. Well, she can have him. I'm seriously thinking of cancelling Texas"

"WHAT!"

She sat back in her chair, arms folded purposefully across her chest.

"You heard me. I can't bear the thought of being with THEM for another minute"

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? Texas is the dream! There is no way we are letting a stupid BOY get in the way of everything WE'VE worked for!"

"Jackson is not a boy! He's, he's..."

"What is he Jane? Why are you so messed up? Please don't let this affect the band. Please" I could feel tears stinging my eyes. Even after everything that had happened in the past week, even though we were now only a few hundred miles away, Texas seemed further than ever from my reach. Desperate to break the silence, I flicked on the stereo. A familiar song filled the car. Dammit, why did LDF have to come on right now?

I glanced over at Jane, but she barely registered the song that was playing. I suddenly remembered Graupner had told me to play it to her, just before our apartment was trashed. I reached over and turned it up slightly, seeing if I could figure out why. Maybe it would help change her mind?

The song built up to it's climax, and then it hit me:

_Well even wallflowers need some water_  
><em>And some tender care<em>

_Well even wall flowers need some water_  
><em>And some tender care<em>

I had heard those words before. The Texan...I pulled over and screeched to a halt.

"Jane, JANE! Wake up! The Texan! It was Jackson! I KNEW I recognised him! We'd met him before, and he wrote this song after meeting you! Jane!"

I prodded her, but she just groaned. "Don't joke Lou, I'm not in the mood!"

"But J, can't you see? Don't you remember? The creepy guy at our first gig? It was Jackson, he said that line about wall flowers and then you agreed to go for a drink with him, but then we went with Josh...but that line's in the song and he wanted you to hear it!"

She stared at me blankly.

"Don't you see it! He's been in love with you for years and wrote this song after meeting you! He must have known it was you when we met again, why didn't he say anything?"

Jane reached over and deftly switched off the stereo. She didn't say anything else for the rest of the journey.

JACKSON'S POV  
><em>THREE YEARS EARLIER<em>

_I saw the two girls walk off arm in arm after the DJ and the guy who had been chatting them up all night. I was too late. Man, I could kill Rob!_

_He came up behind me, slightly out of breath. "Hey, sorry mate, I thought it was the other exit!" The most beautiful girl I had ever seen had agreed to meet me, and stupidly I let myself follow this British jerk to the wrong exit! I had raced to the other side of the building, but it was too late._

_Rob patted my shoulder, "Look, sorry again mate. I thought you said she thought you were weird anyway?" She had, but that hadn't mattered. I had heard her say to her friend she thought I was creepy, but when I spoke to her, I saw something in her eyes that proved she hadn't meant it. I really thought we had had a connection, but now I was here, feeling more alone than ever, watching her walk off with another guy._

_Still panting, Rob continued, "Besides, she's British isn't she? We're just about to go and shoot halfway across the world. There's nothing like a long distance phonecall to really make you feel alone. It was bad for me and my girlfriend when I went to LA, just couldn't handle it. Maybe it's for the best, yeah?"_

_Still not able to take my eyes off her, I reluctantly agreed._

CURRENT DAY

I could only see red on the drive to Texas. I had never felt like this before. Scratch that. I had felt it the first time Jane had walked away from me, and I had directed my anger at Rob all those years ago. I couldn't quite forget her, every so often she would pop up again in my mind. I poured a lot of that emotion into the first Monkey songs we wrote. Well, I was bound to get plenty of material now.

"Jackson" Jerad said quietly. I ignored him.

"Jackson, slow down! We don't want to get pulled over!"

I tensed, but pulled my foot off the accelerator. Looking into the rear view mirror, the rest of the guys were trying to avoid my gaze.

All I could think about was her. How could she do this to me? Again? To walk away and not look back. And then to top it off, puke on me? Why wouldn't she see sense? I wasn't going to give up on us that easily again.

JOJO'S POV

Gary gave a whistle as he walked past. "Ready for tomorrow? You keep on glancing at your watch!"

I mumbled something about timekeeping and dashed back into the production office. Pulling together all the call lists for tomorrow, I couldn't help but keep glancing at my back pack in the corner, knowing what was in there.

Glancing again at my watch, I could see that it was almost time for the next part of my plan. I didn't want to rush it. I made sure the coast was clear before I retrieved the cell phone I had managed to clone whilst I was in LA. I typed in the message I had wanted to send for weeks. Only a few more hours, and I would see him again.

I grabbed the call lists and ran out of the office. Straight into Josh.

JOSH'S POV

"Ooooof! Careful!"

The blonde stammered, scrabbling to pick up the fallen papers.

"S-s-sorry Josh, I didn't me-"

I looked down at her. Oh great, another fan. But she looked familiar...

"Josephine? Josephine Stenhouse? Is that you?"

She laughed nervously, "Yeah, hi, umm, yeah,..."

I helped her up. I hadn't seen Josephine since that night. I hoped she didn't see the bead of sweat that was forming across my brow. I told myself to stay calm. It's not as if she would be able to guess what had happened just by looking at me.

"How are you? How are your mom and dad?"

"Um, yeah, they're fine. They're, y'know. OK"

"How come you're here? I can't believe you're all grown up!" I wiped my palms on my jeans. They felt sweaty.

"I, err, I work here...I mean, um, yeah..." Why was she so nervous? I hoped my presence wasn't bringing back unpleasant memories.

Then suddenly, a image from a few weeks ago entered my mind. A similar situation.

"Hey, didn't I bump into you a while ago in LA? Like, literally bump into you?" I gave a nervous laugh.

"Um, yeah at the photoshoot. My friend had got me work experience before I came out here"

"Sorry about trashing the place!" She suddenly looked at me, her eyes were wide and her mouth was open, as if she was shocked by what I'd said.

"What.. what do you mean?"

"The tray of drinks. I spilt them all over you, remember? I wanted to make it up to you but you disappeared"

She relaxed a little, but someone calling her name made her stiffen again.

"Listen, could you do me a favour, if you're working here? Could you find somewhere nice and shady for my dog to rest while I get my guest passes sorted? He's a bit tired?"

She seemed to try to surpress a grin as she took his lead. "Sure, I'll take him. Listen, let's meet up later? There's a backstage bar"

"Sure" I said, giving Sweeney a little pat on the head. As she walked off, I noticed she'd dropped her cell on the floor. I picked it up when a message flashed up

Jane, why are you doing this? Please say you'll see me before you go. Jx

Jane? But why would Josephine have Jane's phone?

JACKSON'S POV

The road signs indicated we were getting nearer to our destination.

"Hey Bone, are you going to be able to keep your shit together in Texas?" called Graupner from the back. I had mellowed over the course of the journey, but still apprehensive over what lay ahead.

I grinned at him in the rear view mirror "As long as you'll be able to control those sad puppy dogs eyes around Lou Lou Bear!"

The guys laughed as Jerad swatted Ben G with a rolled up copy of the NME. I was only winding him up. Poor Graupner had always been unlucky in love, he was the King of The Unrequited. And besides, he wasn't going to wash his feet in the same pool Jerad and James had been in.

The road sign said Texas. The thought of it burned inside me. What was she going to say to me? I hoped the drive would have given her time to think as well, once the bourbon had worn off. It appeared both her and Lou had the same affliction when it comes to liquor (I'd overheard 'heated debate' between Franco and J-Rad. Guys talk, y'know, although I never told them what went on between me and Jane. I am a Southern gentleman after all)

My cell buzzed as we crossed the state line. Jerad picked it up, then immediately put it down again.

"Who texted me?"

"Um, no one." He not so subtly moved it out of my reach.

"Jerad, who texted me? Was it Jane?" He turned to look out of the window to avoid me.

"C'mon man! What did she say? I've cooled off now!"

He batted away my free hand trying to grab my phone, but hadn't accounted for Graupner to lean over and pluck it out of his hands.

"Ha ha!" he laughed, opening up the message, "Let's see what sweet nothing's she's come back with!"

Johnson put on a high, girl's voice, "Oh Jackson, say you'll be mine forever and ever, just like that sparkly vampire"

Graupner laughed, until he read the message and went silent.

Johnson continued to make whimpering and kissing noises. "Quit it Johnson!" said Jerad raising his hands in despair.

"What's going on? What does it say? Tell me or I kill us all!" I said, swerving the car slightly so they'd get the message.

Graupner and Jerad just looked at each other.

"Goddamit it, what does it say?" I hollered.

"You should pull over, maybe" said Jerad quietly. I pulled to the side of the road and grabbed the phone out of Ben's hands.

"Dude, just remember she's probably still feeling a little sore from last night and there'll be ample opportunity to talk it over in Texas..." he said, but it may have well have fallen on deaf ears.

_**Jackson, don't ever speak to me again. I am getting back with Josh once i get to texas. I even love his dog more than you. Leave me the hell alone.**_

_**Jane.**_

**Thanks for sticking with it, guys! I know we're sad the band isn't the same in real life, but we'll always be together in our stories! Stay tuned, it won't be long ;)**

**Loving meeting you guys on twitter! Thank you for being there xx #monkeyjunkieforever 'at'beatty_street**


	25. Chapter 25

**Wow, sorry for the long break! Here's the next chapter picking up after Jane and Jackson's fall out. As usual, any resemblance to persons alive or dead is a coincidence!**

CHAPTER 25

JANE'S POV

We finally made it to the gig. I had smoked like a trooper the rest of the way. I was just so drained, I didn't have the energy to discuss anything with Lou, not even directions to the venue, but she got us there in one piece. Bless her, she didn't moan once at me smoking in the car (I'm NEVER allowed). It's about time I quit altogether, I thought. Might as well get rid of _all _my vices at the same time.

By the time we had parked our new wheels, I had pushed the latest drama out of my head, for now, anyway. Lou was right, it was time to get down to business. The music. I felt awful for being such a bitch to her the last couple of days, I'd been completely self-absorbed, and it wasn't fair to take it out on her. I needed to shake myself out of this funk. Time to get on with it.

I opened the car door and came face to face with an arm pit. An arm pit that belonged to a rather large, balding man, with a few hygiene issues... that or he'd been working for the last week on a fish farm.

"Hey there pretty lady, I'm Gary, (his breath wasn't any better than the arm pit) but you can call me 'The Big G'. I'm here to make you as comfortable as possible..." his eyes skimmed my chest area as I tried to maneuver myself out the car, and as far away from him as possible. Predictably, Lou was there in a flash, saving my ass, as usual.

"Thanks Big G!" she barrelled into him with her cymbals, (the only bit of her kit left). If you could carry these for us, we'd be terribly grateful." She said, batting her eyelashes, loading him up, and thus putting a halt to the leering.

"Sure thing, sweetheart!" He gave her a creepy wink. "I'll take these in for you, here's your key, you girls are in trailer 118".

I grabbed the key and thanked him. As we headed towards the 'artists' village', a dog's barking caught my attention...that's weird, why would I recognise a dog? I quickly glanced behind me and itI suddenly clicked, of course, that had to be Sweeney. Josh did say he'd turn up here. I wasn't looking forward to it, but I needed to find out just exactly was going on with him. I spun on my heel, looking for them. There were so many people milling around with clipboards, refreshments and equipment that I lost track of where the barking had come from, I'm sure he'll turn up soon. Josh had a habit of not ever being able to stay completely away.

We rocked up to trailer 118, right at the back near the edge of the grounds. I was glad we'd let that roadie take most of our bags, this place was ages away from the action, I was kind of pleased with that, I needed quiet time to chill with Lou and was desperate for us to write some new material. I tried the key in the lock, but it was jammed, frustrated I kicked it a few times.

"Um...Jane?" Lou was still walking on eggshells around me, I hated that. "Do you think he just got the numbers mixed up? This one's got our name on it..." She pointed to the next trailer over, number 119, about 20ft away. I smiled at her. "At least one of us has got brain power today! Good work!" We eventually got into the trailer and collapsed on the sofa. It's about time we had a few hours to just chill.

JO JO'S POV

My mind was racing. Everything was happening so fast, I can't believe the girls arrived at almost the same time as Josh - talk about a close call! To make matters worse, the stupid dog wouldn't shut up. The sooner I got rid of it, the better. I checked my phone, no more updates from Charlotte, which meant that so far everything was going to plan.

I smiled to myself, pleased that everything had worked out this morning. The girls had arrived earlier than expected, but I had managed to get in and out of their trailer before anyone had noticed. I had arrived at work extra early this morning, swapped the accommodation lists, and put them in 118, just like Charlotte wanted, I had set the gas on the stove low, so no one would notice it for an hour or two, by then they'll have slipped into a coma - they're not needed for rehearsals until tomorrow morning, who cares, soon they'll be out of the picture altogether.

I got to the parking lot and headed straight for Josh's car. Sweeney started barking up a storm. "It's alright, sweetie, just wait in here while I go get your daddy". I threw him in the back seat, made sure all the windows were shut, and locked him in. In this heat, he wouldn't be barking for much longer.

No, time to send another text...

JERAD'S POV

To say things were tense, was an understatement. I was just glad we all got here in one piece. We arrived in the searing heat, and I was glad at least the sun had come out for us. Jackson seemed to relax a little now he was back on his home turf; that, or he was trying really hard not to think about Jane. At that moment I caught sight of Lou, walking towards the trailers. My heart actually skipped a beat. We didn't need to bump into them _quite _so soon, I needed a distraction.

"Hey Bone, come with me, I need to check in at the office."

We let the guys and our roadies go sort out the replacement instruments. It wouldn't be the same, not having our own, but we had to get on with it. I was just glad we all made it here, safe.

JO JO'S POV

I could hear Gary barking orders at everyone before I snuck into the office, hopefully he hadn't noticed I'd been gone for the last half hour...

"We need water and coffee in trailer 56, someone send the air con guy to dressing block A, and can someone turn down that goddamn radio!"

Yep, he hadn't noticed. I was just about to grab my bag, when he turned and spotted me. "Newbie!" He grinned at me, I could smell the stale sweat from across the room, thank god I wasn't close enough to smell his breath. "You got the trailer agenda? I can't find it anywhere..."

"Sorry, I haven't seen it." I kicked my bag under the table, hoping he wouldn't see it.  
>"Don't worry darlin', I'll have another one somewhere. Be a doll and bring me the keys..?"<p>

I grabbed the box and headed over to him. Making sure I held my breath the whole time. "Can you sort some keys out for me? Everything seems to be mixed up, grrrr, this is going to be nightmare..." he said looking at the keys. After I'd been through them, only half of them had labels now.

"Security just called, the 100 Monkeys band have arrived, they'll be here any second to get theirs."

As soon as he said that I dropped the box. It landed with a massive crash, keys flying everywhere, as the whole office stopped and looked at me. Shit! As I bent down to clear up the mess I caught sight of Jerad and Jackson walking towards the door. I ran out of there immediately. He couldn't see me now, I had to get the timing right, and finish all my other tasks. THEN we'll be together.

JERAD'S POV

We walked into the office, I narrowly missed bumping into a blond who dashed past me in record time, looked like she was having an _extremely _busy day, it was carnage. Mind you, I've yet to see a quiet production office. I dragged Mr. Miserable behind me.

"Hey man, we're here to pick up our key...?"

"Hey buddy, give me a second, yeah? One my assistants just ran out on me..." The guy, who had 'Big G' tattooed on his forearm turned towards a huge whiteboard, I could see him scanning the names, I instinctively did too, hey, you never know what other cool artists you'll meet at these things. I could see Jackson was doing the same, his new venture into producing other bands was taking off - and besides, he needed as many distractions as possible at the moment.

"Ahhh, here you guys are. Number 119, no... wait...uh, it might be 118. Sorry guys, that's weird, I have two lists here that don't match, I thought I sorted these out yesterday! The trailers are next to each other...ish. There's a couple of hotties in one of them, so, worse comes to the worst you 'accidentally' walk into the wrong trailer…" He rubbed his hands together, and gave us a wink that totally grossed me out.

"I think we'll work it out", Jackson replied to him pretty sharpish, he gave me a look that confirmed I wasn't the only one disgusted by this guy...

"Ok...uh," he found our name on the board, right next to the Lou and Jane's. "Yep, the Kittens, couple of pretty young Brits!" Jackson snatched the key from him and stormed out, I was quick on his heels - he could be a bit unpredictable when he was in a mood like this...

"Hey," I tried to match his pace, but he was in a world of his own. "Let's go chill in the trailer before you see her. I honestly think it would be best to cool down first... besides," I grabbed his arm and stopped him for a second. "Remember when you got all those texts before? They weren't from her, were they? Along with the stupid emails and letters."

His face brightened a bit, "Yeah...I guess. It's just that they're so _personal _now, like, they're about me and her, and now she's texting she wants to be with Josh? Who else knows they were even together?"

"Man, they have to be fake. The state she was in yesterday? That had nothing to do with Groban, she's totally into you, that guy has left the situation."

"OK," he nodded, I guess she won't look twice at him after the whole kidnapping thing".

We joined the others by the car, and set about getting our gear to the trailer 118. It was a pretty sweet place as far as they go: a couple of bedrooms to chill in, a kitchen, TV, and most importantly a Playstation. This cheered the guys up immediately, and even stopped Graupner complaining about the weird smell in here. I had to admit, he was right, but it still beat sharing a shitty motel room in the middle of nowhere.

Jackson's phone beeped. We all sat in silence as he read whatever text he had just received. "FUCK!" he threw the phone on the floor, and shut himself in one of the rooms. There was no point stopping him, the sooner he spoke to Jane, the better. We set up the Playstation as he went to sort out his love life.

**Hope you liked it! Don't forget to let me know what you think, I'm still 'at' Beatty_Street #monkeyjunkie4eva!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Here we go – as usual any resemblance to people alive or dead is a coincidence…**

CHAPTER 26

JANE'S POV

"Whaaaa...?" Lou rolled off the sofa and landed with a thud as we were both woken up by some pretty loud, incessant knocking on our door. I shook myself awake as I went to open it.

"OK, OK!" I moaned as I tripped over my bag. "Josh!" I froze in the doorway. He looked tired and scruffy, his hair was over the place, and he looked like he hadn't slept in days. It was only a few days since I last saw him...but so much had happened since then. My mind exploded with questions, I didn't know where to start. Just as well, Lou beat me to it.

"Josh!" She ran at him and grabbed at his t-shirt, "Where the fuck is James? Is he OK?"

His face suddenly became drawn and serious, "He's fine". He almost forcefully held Lou's wrists and pushed her towards me, back inside the trailer. He let go of her and closed the door behind him. "Sit down, we need to talk."

Lou and I looked at each other, and slowly sat down next to each other on the sofa.

We both jumped as there once again came that incessant knocking on our door. This time sounding a lot angrier. "I'll get it" Josh got to the door.

"What do we do?" Lou whispered in my ear.

"Nothing, let's just hear him out, then he'll calm down. Remember, it's _only Josh_!"

Whoever was at the door wasn't saying much, Lou and I went quiet, trying to work out who it was.

"Got it." At the sound of his voice my heart stopped. I wasn't ready to speak to him yet, but I wanted so badly to see him, to hold him. I opened my mouth to call out to him, but changed my mind. It was such a horrible break-up; I was surprised he wanted to see me so soon.

Josh closed the door on Jackson. He turned and looked at me, expressionless.

"What did you say to him?" I demanded.

"Nothing, you can talk to him later".

Then Josh began to tell us what was on his mind.

UNCLE LARRY'S POV

I rocked up to the trailer around 3pm. Hadn't spoken to the guys in a few days, from my understanding they were on the road with those Kitty Cats. I chuckled to myself, must have had quite the party the way those girls get through a bottle of Jack.

I got to the trailer, nice spot, nice and shady, and not too near the hustle and bustle. After a couple of knocks I let myself in. The smell hit me immediately. I mean, my nostrils ain't what they used to be, but these guys at hit the party scene HARD! I waved my hand in front of my face. What had these cats been drinking? Jackson, Johnson and Jerad were sprawled out across the couch, fast asleep. Johnson was still cradling a can of beer, Jerad was laid on the floor, Jackson, dead to the world on the couch.

Geez, they didn't look great, they all looked pretty pale, they didn't even stir when I accidentally dropped my guitar case. I left my bags there and decided to go find somewhere to smoke and have a drink. These party rookies needed their rest. I shut the door behind me and headed down to the main grounds.

JANE'S POV

Lou and I had sat and listened to Josh's story for the last two hours. I sat frozen, hardly believing what I was hearing. Josh's voice was starting to sound hoarse, this was obviously all so draining for him too. Every now and again Lou and I gasped or caught each other's eye. Things were finally all falling into place. It was difficult to believe how all their lives had become so entwined with each other. All because of this one girl Charlotte, and a teenage love triangle with what would become two of the most famous Hollywood stars of our generation.

Charlotte was still alive. She hadn't died in the fire. She had set the whole thing up to fake her death, with Josh's help. She'd called him over, threatening to kill herself, but he had managed to talk her out of it. But she had been in so much pain, she told him she couldn't carry on any more. So she ran away. Josh had carried this secret with him with him for so long, the burden of knowing she was alive and well while her family grieved for her.

Josh had paused, lost in his thoughts. Suddenly, there was another knock at the door. "Wow," Lou laughed nervously. "It's like Piccadilly Circus in here! I'll get it." She was up and answering the door in seconds.

"James!" Lou screamed and threw herself at him, I could hear him quietly chuckle as he caught her in his arms. "Hey, slow down, Lou Lou Bear, I don't wanna break anymore ribs!" He stepped into the doorway, and froze when he saw Josh.

"Josh, what are you doing here?" He looked concerned, and slightly panicked. James obviously knew a lot more than us, but I couldn't tell just how involved he had been. He held Lou's hand tightly as he confronted Josh. They stood and stared at each other, like two dogs, not knowing if they're being threatened or not. Seeing the two of together so agitated was beginning to freak me out. I caught Lou's eye - she seemed to think the same.

"Josh..." James continued, "It isn't safe here, what are you planning?" Something between these two had changed. The hostility they had between them was gone, but why?

"I just need to talk to Jane, I'm nearly done."

"OK," Lou sounded determined. "I wanna talk to James so I'm gonna take him for a walk around the grounds, you guys talk, and we'll come back in half an hour."

"OK?" She raised her eyebrows at me.

"OK" I answered. I watched James and Lou leave the trailer and prepared myself for the rest of the story.

JAMES' POV

I held Lou's hand as we left the trailer, I was still feeling tense, but having her near me again felt good. I tried to put it out of my mind that I'll be saying goodbye to her again pretty soon.

I pulled her to me and kissed her. The connection we had was amazing, this girl literally took my breath away, but she would have no idea what she was getting into with me around, her career was just beginning, I couldn't ruin it for her.

We eventually came up for air "Did you girls know the Monkeys are in this trailer next to yours?"

"Ah... of course they are..." Lou bit her lip and looked up at me. "Can we go say hi? Jane and Jackson kind of broke up last night, I just want to check he's OK?"

"Of course" We knocked a few times, but no answer. "That's weird, the TV's on..." Lou pulled the door handle and it opened immediately.

We were instantly hit with an intense rotting smell... no, not rotting, what was that...? The guys looked like they'd been partying all week, they were all passed out.

"Hey, sleepy heads - wake up!" Lou was shaking Jackson awake, but it wasn't working. Then it clicked.

"Lou - the smell is gas! Get them out quick!"

We grabbed the boys by their arms and literally dragged them, one by one, from the trailer. What the fuck? How could they have been so stupid?

I laid all three of them on the ground next to each other, and went about trying to wake them up. I looked around to see if there was anyone we could get to help. There was a young girl standing still watching us in the distance. "Call paramedics!" I shouted to her, she turned and ran.

Ben J was on the ground, moaning. Phew, if they're waking up this quickly, they can't have been in there too long.

"Wait...where's Graupner?" Before I could stop her Lou had run back inside.

BEN G'S POV

_It was hot, the sun glimmered off the sea, I stretched out my toes and wriggled them in the sand. Finally we had time off from the tour; all I wanted to do was lie here and do nothing. I've never felt so lazy before, everything felt heavy, it was just a glorious feeling to just lie here and sink into the sand, further and further. _

_Suddenly, the ground beneath me started to shake, I could feel my body move from side to side, I tried to open my eyes, but they just felt so heavy..._

_"Ben! Ben! Wake up!" That's weird; I thought I was here on my own. _

_"Ben , PLEASE open your eyes!" Fine, whatever. I managed to open them a little, it was hard, there was such a blinding light. I looked up straight into the eyes of the most beautiful angel I'd ever seen. Weird, for some reason I'd always assumed angels were blond... I must have done something good for God to send this beautiful brunette to me. She could call my name as much as she wants... I tried to reach my arm up to touch her, but it was so heavy, all I wanted to do was lie there and stare at her gorgeous face. _

_"Ben, dammit! Wake up, I can't carry you!"_

_"It's OK!" I called to her "I'll carry you... my love!" _

_"What are you talking about? WAKE UP!"_

_Suddenly, the sand beneath me went cold, then quickly started to disappear altogether, my head began to throb, like someone had pounded me. Where's my Angel? I looked up into Lou's eyes, concern all over her face, concern for me?_

_That's it. I'm in love. Forever. _

**Hmmm, what's going on there, I wonder? Thanks for your support, if you read & liked please do say hello to me 'at'Beatty_street!**

**XO**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hi guys - a thousand apologies for the hiatus... real life has a way of sneaking in now and then...**

**However i am back... and the story shall continue ;) xx**

CHAPTER 27

LOU'S POV

Graupner lay on the grass, looking dreamily up at me. He reached his hand up and ran his fingers through my hair.

"Beautiful...so beautiful..." he murmured.

I slapped him across the face. He was obviously delirious. It seemed to focus him for a second, but he was still staring at me goofily.

I looked over at James, "How are the rest of them?" He was kneeling between Johnson and Jackson, trying to shake them awake.

"Fine, I think!" He looked up in desperation, "Where the hell are the paramedics?"

"Here soon, I hope. What the hell is going on?" I made to move over to him, but Ben still held on to my arm, "No, stay here. Please. Don't leave me". He looked scared. The gas must still be affecting him. I stroked his head to soothe him, "Don't worry Benny" I said softly, "Help will be here soon".

"OH JESUS H CHRIST!" The sound of Gary huffing and puffing reached us before the man mountain himself did. "What the hell happened here?" He was followed by some worried looking assistants, who stopped dead in their tracks at the four bodies lying on the ground, and no doubt at the fact that James Franco was slapping one of them around the face.

"They'd left the gas on in their trailer. Did someone call the paramedic?" James said, giving Jerad one last slap. I winced, hoping that their earlier rivalry hadn't resurfaced.

Gary's walkie-talkie buzzed and a disembodied voice informed him that the first aiders were at the production office and the paramedics were on their way. Gary bent over, still trying to catch his breath. "Yes, uh, Lily...the...PA...called them" he wheezed.

Four guys in high visibility jackets suddenly burst through from between the trailers, and took control of the situation, giving the Monkeys oxygen. Reluctantly, I left Graupner to be attended to and James pulled me into his arms.

"Seems trouble likes to follow you around, doesn't it Lou?" he murmured into my hair. I felt a chill when I realised 118 should have been mine and Jane's trailer.

JOSH'S POV

Jane sat open-mouthed across from me. If I was in her place, I wouldn't have believed me either. The events over the last thirteen years were just too fantastical to comprehend.

She held her hands together, between her knees. "So, what are you going to do now?"

"I just want it all to be over. I'll have to come clean, I guess. Get it all in the open" I cradled my head in my hands. The air felt heavy and thick around me. I was starting to feel like I couldn't breathe.

I felt her fingers curl around mine, and lifted my head to meet her eyes. "Josh," she said softly, "That's not your decision to make."

I couldn't understand why she was being so kind. I dropped my head, tears stinging my eyes. "But I can't go on like this Jane. I've been living a lie for so long" I reached out for her, longing to feel her arms around me. She could make everything feel good again. I buried my face in her hair, wanting to drink all of her in. It felt good to be this close to her again, despite the bombshell I had just literally just dropped into her lap. She was complicit now, almost as guilty as I was.

She lifted my head to face hers, and gently brushed away my tears. "You don't have to do this alone" she said. I searched her face for a sign, and she gave a slight smile. Placing my hands on the side of her face, I gently pulled her toward me...

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. I could hear raised voices outside, which broke me from my trance. Jane pulled back and turned her face away, "What's going on?" she said.

To my dismay she stood up, and walked to the door. She looked back at me, almost sorrowfully, as she pulled the handle and looked to the carnage outside.

"What the...JACKSON?" She screamed and raced out into the fading sunlight. I rubbed my hand over my face. Was he always going to come first?

I stood up and walked to see what all the fuss was.

I couldn't believe my eyes. There were four bodies lying on the ground, being administered to by paramedics with oxygen tanks. There was a crowd of worried looking production crew members. In the middle of it all, Lou and James were in an embrace. She looked straight at me, then looked away, almost ashamed to lock eyes with me.

Jane was kneeling on the ground beside Jackson, who was sitting up with an oxygen mask over his face.

I walked over, "Are you OK? What happened?" Jackson shook his head at me, then turned to Jane, who was holding on to his hand for dear life.

"Gas poisoning by the looks of it" said one guy in a high-vis jacket. "Gary!" he yelled, "Has the source been located yet?"

Gary shrugged his shoulders, and I saw his and the guy's eyes widen.

"Everyone. GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE NOW!"

LOU'S POV

There was pandemonium as the crowd made a break for it away from the trailers.

"You and you!" shouted Gary, pointing to James and Josh, "Help me get these guys out of here!" They both leapt into action, James helping up Johnson whilst Josh bent over to help Jerad get shakily to his feet. The first aiders rushed to help them, whilst Gary had already slung one of Jackson's arms over his shoulder. Jane quickly grabbed his other arm as they tried to steer him down a grassy gap inbetween the trailers.

I felt a strong arm grip me around the waist, and realised it was Graupner who was being dragged by a first aider at least a foot shorter than him. I tried to prop him up over my shoulder balancing on my crutches, with the guy on the other side, and we somehow managed to propel the Graupner giant after the others.

One of the production crew ran along side us, "Quickly! This place could blow!"

"We shouldn't be moving them" said the guy on the other side of Ben, "The stress could send them into shock"

"We can't take that risk!" said Gary, over Jackson's shoulder, whose feet were starting to drag behind him. Jane hitched him up further and continued to pull him along, pushing up his lolling head, "Let's get them to Area B, it's the farthest away!" He barked orders into his walkie talkie to evacuate Area C, the trailer site we'd been in which was on the edge of the wood, and get everyone to the evacuation sites. It must have been too far and difficult for us to take the Monkeys there, so he must have been taking us to the next nearest shelter.

Coming up to a small-sized Marquee, Gary pulled back the flap and ushered everyone inside. Just as the first aider, Graupner and I finished our weird six-legged race there was a massive explosion from behind us. Instinctively ducking, we hit the deck. Turning around, I saw the roof of the trailer shoot up into the sky and come crashing to ground where we had been just seconds ago. "GET IN" screeched Gary, "We're far enough away for it to be safe in here for the time being!"

We lay the moaning Monkeys on to the ground, and the first aid guys immediately got back to work.

"Good job you did back there, Missy" said Gary to me, looking flushed and sweaty. "You did the right thing getting them outside when you did. Could have been a lot worse..."

"A LOT WORSE THAN THIS?" I quickly lowered my voice, "Our trailer's just gone sky high! If I hadn't knocked on their door..."

"But you did." said Gary, who was interrupted by his walkie talkie crackling again. The disembodied voice was telling him some people were slightly hurt by the explosion and they needed the first aiders, stat.

Gary looked at the first-aid guys, who seemed confident they could leave the monkeys for the time being. "We'll be right back" he said, ducking out of the tent, leaving us alone.

I turned around and was immediately swept up into a bear hug by Graupner. "Thanks Lou. My angel" he whispered into my ear.

"Whoah, seems like someone's got their strength back!" said James, removing him from me. Ben goofily slapped James on the back, and then promptly sank to his knees. The gas was still affecting him.

"Lay down, buddy" I said, "Get some rest".

Josh dragged over one of the oxygen canisters the first aid guys had left behind and handed the mask to James, who snapped it over Ben's face.

Jane beckoned me over to the corner, where she was sitting with Jerad and Jackson. "You guys OK?" I asked, looking at their ashen faces.

Jane spoke in hushed tones, "Lou, I seriously think we need to make a run for it as soon as possible"

"You're not kidding!" I replied, but she hushed me, steering me away from everyone else.

"Seriously. That gas leak was meant for us. It can't have been an accident. Whoever was stalking us in LA has followed us here!" she hissed.

I nodded. But how were we going to get away? We couldn't leave the Monkeys here, not like this.

Suddenly, the flap to the tent was flung back and a small blond creature barrelled in. My hand sprung to my mouth as everyone else had a sharp intake of breath.

"Oh my god, you're OK!" said JoJo, wide eyed.

"What the...?" Jane and I looked at each other. JoJo couldn't be the one who was after us, surely?

She rushed over to us and grabbed us into a hug, "I'm so glad you're OK! I saw on the roster that you were in the area and I thought you'd gone up in flames!" She had tears in her eyes, but there was something off about her tone.

Johnson raised himself off the floor and dragged himself over, "JoJo? What are you doing here?"

"She's working here" piped up Josh, "I saw her earlier"

JoJo released us and solemnly looked around, her eyes still shiny. She flung her arms around Johnson, who awkwardly patted her on the back. "I got a job as an assistant after I moved out of Heather's apartment. Her dad was raving mad after what she did to you guys"

"Wait a minute, Heather rigged the amp to explore in St Louis?" said Jane, staring at JoJo but her hand grabbing my arm.

JoJo wiped her eyes, "I'm so sorry Jane, she was obsessed with you. I couldn't be around her after that, and I think her dad was going to section her. He nearly called the cops on her for nearly killing one of his acts"

"But what about everything else?" I nearly lunged for her, but Jane pulled me back, pre-empting my attack.

JoJo shook her head dumbly, "I, I don't know what you're talking about"

"The messages, the flat, the car, the freakin' explosion! What about all of that?" I hollered. James and Josh looked shocked at my temper.

JoJo shied away, "I'm sorry Lou but I don't know what you're talking about. All I know is that I got here and saw your names and then there was an explosion and, oh my god it's not worth thinking about!"

Jane had a sharp intake of breath, "OK, OK I believe you. Lou is just in shock, understandably". I gritted my teeth. Something was definitely off.

Josh came up from JoJo and grabbed her shoulder, "Jo, where's Sweeney, is he OK?" She shook her head again, "Sorry Josh, who's Sweeney?"

Josh's eyes widened, "JoJo, I asked you earlier to look after Sweeney, where is he?"

She stammered, "I don't know what you're talking about"

Josh raised his hands to his head and went pale. Jane rushed to him, "Josh, Josh I'm sure he's OK!"

He nodded, trembling, "Will you help me look for him?" he said, not taking his eyes off of JoJo. Jane looked to me, not for permission but reassurance. After Josh's bombshell earlier I suspected she was still wary, but part of me wanted to believe what he'd said, that we was contrite about varrying the secret of Charlotte's 'death'. The other part of me wanted to get Jane the hell away from JoJo.

Josh grabbed her hand and led her out of the tent. JoJo wrapped herself around James, and I fought to push my temper down.

He was trying to soothe her and saw my clenching and unclenching my fists. "Chill Lou, she's had a hard time too". I tried to see his reasoning, but there was something about JoJo's sudden reappearance which made me suspicious.

"Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?" wailed Graupner from the floor, the oxygen now apparently working in his brain. "Why are we in a tent? Why is JoJo here?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out" I said, "Why are you here?"

"I told you, I'm working here!" she said, burying herself into James' chest.

"What was that Josh said about Sweeney? About you looking after him?"

"I don't know what he's on about, I swear!"

"But he said he saw you earlier?"

"He did, I saw him by his car. I thought I saw his dog in the back as he locked it"

"But if he knew where his dog was, why has he gone looking for it with Jane?" asked a bemused Graupner.

I turned on my heel and ran before anyone could stop me.

JOSH'S POV

"Sweeney! Sweeney come out boy!"

"Sweeney! Sweeney?"

Jane and I were shouting until our voices were hoarse. We had tried to get back to the other side of the campsite, but it was blocked as they were trying to put out the fire. It had got dark out, and we were trying to pick our way through the empty rows of trailers.

"I think my car is parked this way" I shouted to Jane through the darkness, "Maybe he went back to it?" I had to cling to something.

Jane grabbed my hand and walked with me, helping to feel our way through the trailers. There was only a faint light from an overhead lamp to guide us.

"He'll be OK, don't worry. Sweeney's a smart dog" she said. I squeezed her hand in response. After all I had told her today, she was still here, by my side. I wasn't going to let her go ever again.

JACKSON'S POV

My thinking was still groggy. I didn't have time to stop James as he darted out after Lou. What the hell was going on around here?

JoJo came over and sat in front of me. She tenderly brushed a strand of hair from my eyes. I still felt too tired after our 100 metre dash to even raise my hands.

"Jackson, are you feeling better?" she said, her eyes of concern, "You had me worried for a while then"

I raised a weak smile, "I'm OK, darlin'. Just a few deep breaths and a swig of old Jim Beam and I'll be peachy!"

I heard a buzzing noise and Jerad pulled his phone from his pocket, "It's from Uncle. They've evacuated the south side of the site. He wants to know where we are"

JoJo swiped the phone from his hand, "I'll tell him" she said, abruptly. I looked at her. "I mean, I know where we are. I'll tell him to meet us at the checking in office on the north side, it's just by here. It's got water and some heaters, it's getting a bit cold now. I wouldn't want you guys to catch your death" she said, focusing her attention onto the tiny screen.

Jeard shrugged at me, "What do you reckon? It'll be better than this stinking tent?"

I turned to the Bens. "How're you guys holding up? Think you're ok for another trek?" They nodded. We stood up, still a bit shaky, as we followed JoJo into the cold night air. I hoped where ever she was, Jane would be able to find us.

JOJO'S POV

It was almost too perfect. Despite some setbacks, miraculously the plan was back on track. The boys still looked a bit groggy from the gas. This wasn't what I'd planned, but now it seemed fate was finally giving me a hand. My sister would be so proud of me.

I slowed my pace to fall beside Jackson. "Need a little help?" I asked, taking his arm. He smiled at me, and I knew our fate had been set. Now those bitches were nearly out of the way, Jackson was nearly mine. I just had some more admin first. As I felt Jackson's hard body against mine, I tried to quell the rage I was feeling against those fucking Kittens. For too long that Jane bitch had ruined mine and my sister's life. And now it was payback time. Somehow she had managed to worm her way out of every trap I had set; the exploding guitar, the chevy, and now the trailer. I could kill Gary! But now, with Jackson beside me, none of that mattered.

There's was no way she was getting out of this one.

LOU'S POV

I tried to follow the sound of Jane's voice as she called for Sweeney, but I seemed to be running in the wrong direction, lost in a maze of empty, silent trailers. I was disorientated, and could hear James calling for me too.

Josh's words from earlier that day weighed heavily on my mind. After what JoJo had said, I doubted my trust in him. I just had to get to Jane and warn her.

I shouldn't have let her leave with him.

JOSH'S POV

Finally, we'd made it to the edge of the car park. In the distance I could hear sirens. I hoped Sweeney wasn't feeling too scared.

"Sweeney! Sweeney! Come here boy!" I cried. Please, please let him be here. I rushed through the cars, Jane hot on my heels.

As I rushed up to my car, I dropped to the floor to see if he was hiding underneath like he sometimes used to do on the 4th of July when he was scared of the fireworks. I could hear Jane's footsteps on the gravel, running around still calling for him.

I turned around and sat on the floor, leaning against the wheel. Where was he?

Jane came to a stop next to me. "I'm sorry Josh. He's not here"

I bashed my forehead to my knees, my eyes stinging with tears. "Shh, shh" said Jane, helping me to my feet, drawing me into a hug, "He'll be OK, I promise, we'll find him".

I hung over her shoulder, as she patted my back. I suddenly felt her tense.

"Josh, what's that in the back of your car?"

Huh? I turned around, and saw a shadow on the back seat. Shock rooted me to the spot.

Jane pressed her fingers to the glass, then grabbed the handle and started to rattle it. "Josh, where are your keys? Open the door, now!"

I put my hands in my pocket, but my fingers wouldn't work.

She shook the handle and banged on the window, but there was no response from within the car.

"Josh? Josh!" she cried, until something on the front seat caught her eye, and she took a back step. She stared at me. "Josh, wh-where are your car keys?"

Still struck dumb, I shook my head. My fingers curled around my key ring and I slowly pulled them from my pocket. As I did, Jane's phone spilled out and fell on to the floor. I stepped toward the door, and Jane took another step back. Trying to avoid the shadow on the back seat, `I looked at what Jane had been looking at.

On the front seat was a trailer roster, a set of keys, a gas tap, a black hand written diary and a knife. I turned to Jane. She was shaking. "Wh-why is my name on that paper in your car? Why do you have that diary? How did you know about the story we found? And why is your dog locked in the back of your car when you still have the keys?" I could hear the fear rising in her voice.

"Jane, I - I - I honestly don't know. Sweeney, oh god, Sweeney!" I turned to the car, my throat was starting to close.

"Why did you bring me here to see this? Why did you only want me to come with you?" her voice still shaky, she took another step back. She looked at my feet, and saw her phone.

"Jane, I don't know. I'm not going to hurt you, I - I..."

"My, my phone? Why...You, you did kill Charlotte, didn't you…shes not alive, she died in the fire! You, you were behind it all!"

"No, Jane, no, you have to believe me! Wait!" I went to grab her, but she side stepped and made a break for it into the darkness.

LOU'S POV

I made a dash towards the light of the carpark, when Jane came running straight into me. "Run!" she screamed. She didn't have to convince me twice. I took off after her. I could hear Josh crying out her name after us.

I turned to look, but tripped and went sprawling onto the grass. Jane dashed back and pulled me up, dragging me behind a row of trailers.

"Shit!" I hissed; I'd fallen on my bad ankle. And judging by the look on Jane's face, we had to get away pretty sharpish. She quickly pulled me through more rows of deserted trailers, away from the car park. When I let out a yelp, she ducked down and pulled me with her.

"Shhhh! Is it your ankle?" she whispered. I nodded.

"We need to get out of here! Josh is after us!"

"Did he do something?" I almost cried out, but she stopped me, sshhing me to be quiet.

"He...he...I can't say Lou, it's too horrible..." she looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack.

"What did he do Jane? You're scaring me!"

"He's, he's got a knife...and the trailer list, with our names on it. And he had a copy of the diary, the one with the story...the one about us..."

"The fanfiction? But why would Josh..." I stopped. Jane nodded.

"Josh is behind everything?"

"He must be. What I just saw..." she said, her voice trembling.

"We have to get out of here! We have to get to the Monkeys. Where's the tent?"

She warily stuck her head out between two trailers. "I think it's just over there, about 50 yards away. If we can get out without Josh seeing us..."

Holy christ, James has been right about Josh all along, warning us about him. And now he was on his own too, looking for me.

"C'mon" I said, grabbing her hand, "This is going to stop, tonight!".

We made a dash for the tent. But when we stumbled in the Monkeys were gone.

Hurried footsteps outside told us we weren't going to be alone for long.

**Thanks for reading - another chapter up this time next week xxx**


	28. Chapter 28

**All characters are fictitious, any resemblance to people alive or dead is just a coincidence!**

**I thought it was time to back back into the swing of things - when I started this story nearly a year ago I had no idea on the journey it would take me!**

**Sit back, relax and enjoy the next chapter!**

CHAPTER 28

JANE'S POV

"What the...?" My heart was racing, I gulped for air as I tried to catch my breath. Lou was also struggling, before I could ask if she was OK she pinched my arm and silenced me.

"Shhh! Can you hear that?"

I froze and heard the footsteps coming towards us, echoing throughout the now empty trailer park, hurried footsteps, that were getting louder, and closer.

"Shit! He's found us! What do we..." I stopped as the footsteps skidded to a halt outside.

"Hello?"

Phew! We both exhaled. Whoever it was, was female.

"Hello? Is anyone in here?"

"Yes!" I called to her - we need help!"

A young brunette entered the tent. She was petite, had long light-brown hair, and striking ice-blue eyes. She reminded me of someone, but I had so much racing through my mind I couldn't think. I immediately relaxed when I saw her security pass and radio. Thank god. Someone who knew what was going on!

"What's happened? We've had to evacuate the site, what are you two still doing here?"

Lou stood up to answer her, "Long story...OW!" she grabbed onto my arm and winced as I gently lowered her back on the chair. The words flew out my mouth a million times a minute. I summarized what had happened to us in the last couple of hours. Even as I said it, I realised just how absolutely ridiculous the whole situation was.

I left out a few details... partly because we didn't have time, and partly because well...I don't know, just because. I finished up with "So we think this weird pyscho-guy is still following us..."

"Wow, you guys have been through the mill!"

She pulled off her backpack, rummaged through it and pulled out a large roll of gauze.

"It's not the best, but it'll do" and she set about wrapping up Lou's ankle.

I flopped down on the chair next to Lou and felt myself relax a little. "Thank god you're here" I exhaled. "I'm Jane, by the way, this is Lou."

"Sam" she smiled up at me.

"Ow!" Lou moaned.

"Sorry, not done this in a while". Sam smiled up at Lou, but she didn't return it and just grimaced at her; she seemed to be sulking about something.

"Right", Sam said, tying the bandage around Lou's ankle. "Can you walk on it?"

Lou tentatively put her foot on the ground, sharply sucking air through her teeth. "I'll manage" she managed through gritted teeth.

"OK, I think you girls should follow me. I heard on the radio that your friends have been taken to the Jericho building, it's not far, I'll take you guys there. "

Sounded good to me, the sooner I got back to Jackson, the better.

"Um, that's great and everything," Lou piped up, "but couldn't you just radio for someone to come get us? We were just chased through an abandoned trailer park by none other than J..." I shot Lou my death stare "than some crazy _pyscho"._

Lou looked at me as she emphasised the last word. Sam looked up at Lou, and just for a second, I thought I saw her eyes flash with, what? Anger? Hostility? Mind you, I didn't blame her, Lou _was_acting a little rude. I put it down to the pain her ankle was giving her.

"My radio's broken, I can hear the others, but can't make contact myself".

I'd had enough of this sitting around lark, "Come on, lets just get on with it." All I could think about right now was Jackson, and how he'd been right all along about Josh... I had so much to say to him. I couldn't forget what Lou had told me about the song, and meeting him all those years ago. Of course I remembered! When I saw him lying there on the ground, not moving, I thought my heart had broken right then and there. Fuck puking on his shoes, or the fact that we weren't together anymore - I just wanted, no, _needed _him to be safe.

I hooked Lou's arm over my shoulder and we followed Sam out the tent. It was deathly quiet now, walking through the dark and silent trailers. The whole complex was steeped in darkness, I assumed the explosion had knocked the power out completely. Luckily the moon was bright enough to light our way. As long as Josh doesn't see us too...

Sam marched on ahead, constantly waving her flashlight left and right. I assumed she was also looking for our psycho-stalker. I held on to Lou tighter as I remembered what I had seen in Josh's car. How could he? How could I have fallen for a …. what? What was he? Confused? Mentally-ill? A pyscho? I'd felt so sorry for him earlier - Jeez, I got so wrapped up in his story and had felt so sorry for him that I nearly kissed him! I shuddered when I remembered the knife laying on his front seat. I nearly kissed the guy that was planning to kill me. My mind was racing - would he have done it? Hurt me? _Killed_me?

A large building at the edge of the compound slowly came into focus, covered in darkness. "Um, Sam?" Lou's voice cut through the silence like a knife. "Er... where is everyone? Didn't you say they'd all be here? This place is like a ghost town."

Sam didn't say anything just marched ahead in silence. Lou and I looked at each other. "What the fuck?" she mouthed at me.I just shrugged my shoulders. "It's Josh I'm scared of, not anyone else," I whispered to her.

Lou pursed her lips but didn't say anything further, she was way more suspicious of people than me, and to be honest, after the last few weeks, she was probably right to do so.

We eventually got the front door and followed Sam in. It looked like an old school or something, our steps echoed in the long corridor as we walked past what must have been classrooms, either side of us.

"They're up here" Sam flashed her torch up a flight of stairs at the end of the corridor. Something was different in her tone, cold, abrupt. "This way".

"Sure" I said to her evenly. "But can we slow down a little? Lou's barely on two legs as it is..."  
>Sam let out a loud, impatient sigh, but didn't say anything. Lou looked at me as we followed her up the stairs. <em>Rude bitch! <em>she mouthed at me. I rolled my eyes at her to signal that I agreed. This flight of stairs was huge, this was taking forever! What was this place? And I still couldn't see or hear anyone else, either.

We eventually reached the top, Sam stopped in front of us - flicking through some notes on her clipboard. God, I hope she's not lost, that's the last thing we needed. Visions of Jackson lying on the ground passed out, swam in front of my eyes.

"Sam, I'm sorry to keep asking, maybe I'm just freaked out by everything, but do you think we're nearly there? Where is everyone?"

She gave an impatient sigh again, "Relax, we're nearly there, don't worry - Josh isn't here."

Lou and I immediately froze. I felt a shiver down my spine. Lou's voice sounded shaky; "Er, we never gave you a name..."

Suddenly the flashlight went out. In one quick move Sam dropped the flashlight and shoved Lou backwards. Sshe let out an ear-piercing scream, I felt her arm slip through mine, I reached out in the darkness to grab her. I caught the edge of her dress but it ripped in my hand. "Lou!" I screamed as I heard her tumble down the stairs, I felt a searing pain in the back of my head, and then everything went black.

LOU'S POV

My head was throbbing. Every part of me ached, I wriggled my fingers and toes, it didn't seem like anything was broken... I was in complete darkness, I strained my ears but couldn't hear anything. At the end of the corridor I could just make out a shaft of light peeking out through a large set of double doors.

Could that be where Jane was? I didn't have a choice, I hoisted myself up, and as quickly and quietly as I could headed towards the light.

JACKSON'S POV

My mind was racing. OK, I've had plenty of girls having crushes on me in the past, but what the fuck? I struggled to move but couldn't. All four of us were strapped to chairs, on some sort of stage. Our hands and legs are bound, and we had gags in our mouths, like some kind of gangster movie, although this time I wasn't acting, as much as I wished I was.

I can't believe how fucked up everything is, was this my fault? I still couldn't get my head around how everything connected. Where was everyone else? The girls? Uncle? James? Did they even know we were here?

I felt a sudden relief as I remembered Jane and Lou and gone off with Josh to look for his dog. I realise now he wasn't going to hurt Jane. His only crime was caring about her, and I could hardly blame him for that, could I?

JoJo was pacing up and down in front of us, speedily texting someone. I looked around for some kind of escape route, or at least a weapon, but saw nothing. This was some kind of theatre, the hot lights above us were almost directly in my eyes, but beyond them I could vaguely see row upon row of empty chairs facing us, at the back of the room thick red curtains hung down, I assumed covering the 'audience entrance'. Suddenly JoJo's phone rang, she glanced at us, then walked to the far end of the stage to take the call. As my eyes followed her I saw the curtains at the back of the theatre twitch, then saw Lou poke her head through. Thank god, they've worked out where we are. Graupner started wriggling next to me, he must have seen her too. _No!_ I shook my head at her, and pointed to JoJo with my eyeline as much as possible. She was still on the phone with her back towards Lou. I could see Lou frown at me and tentatively move towards us. Jerad and Johnson had also noticed her, and also frantically started shaking their heads _No! Stay there! _She couldn't see what we could, JoJo's voice was rising, whoever she was talking to wasn't happy. I willed her to turn around, so Lou could get a better look at her.

"Where is she? Which staircase? Where do I hide it? Fine, i'll be there in 5 - yes, OK! It's not like she'll have moved is it?" She hung up the phone and turned back towards us. As she did the holster of the gun in her pocket caught the light. Lou's eyes widened and she ducked down behind a row of chairs. I could hear Graupner exhale with relief.

JoJo's eyes rested on me and she smiled. I quickly glanced behind her to check Lou was still hidden. I couldn't see her anymore, which also meant JoJo couldn't. She stroked my hair and I tried not to shiver as as she ran her fingertips tenderly down the side of my face. "Don't worry J, I'll be back soon". She slowly removed the scarf she had gagged me with, and I took a gulp of air with relief. I had no idea how to play this, but I knew I had to remain calm.

"Where are you going?" I kept my voice as steady as possible. "You could at least untie my feet or something, it's not like we're going anywhere..."

"Oh, Jackson, don't be silly" she giggled. "It's taken me a long time to get you to myself! And now Jane won't be bothering us anymore we can get on with our new lives! After all this nothing can get in our way" she clapped her hands together "Oh, but you still have more Twilight movies to make, don't you?... hmmmmm. Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it..."

A chill ran down my spine. "Jane? What do you mean? Where is she?"

She laughed coldly again "Golly you really don't listen, do you? " She chided me as she stuffed the gag back in my mouth. "You _know_where she is, she's gone. Jeez, I wrote it all down and left the story for you, remember?"

"Now, I have to go take care of one more thing, then I'll be right back with you." She placed both hands on the side of my face and kissed my forehead. "Be good!"

All four of us watched her leave, when we heard the door slam behind her Lou popped up from behind the chairs. Her dress was torn, her hair all over the place and she was covered in cuts and bruises. She rushed forward and removed the gags.

"Lou! Are you OK? Where's Jane? What the fuck?"

"I don't know!" Her voice was trembling, but she was doing a great job of holding it together. She moved behind me and started to untie my hands. "I don't know what's going on, I was trying to get out of here, and I heard JoJo's voice - I thought you guys had left!"

I broke free then quickly helped her untie the others. As soon as Graupner was free he pulled her into a massive bear hug. She hugged him back and I saw her shoulders start to shake. "Hey, don't cry Lou Lou! You've saved us, and don't worry - we'll get Jane, OK?" He looked at me steadily, I didn't know if he was talking to me or her.

"Wait!" Lou stopped. She took a deep breath and pulled herself together again. "What if she comes back and finds you gone? What if she finds us? She the one with the weapon, remember?"

"She's right" Jerad piped up. "Lets not anger the bitch further. Lou, you need to get out of here, go get help, if anyone can do this it's you" he winked at her.

We all froze as we heard footsteps racing towards us.

"Quick!"

We got back in our seats, all holding our hands behind our backs as if nothing had happened. Lou replaced our gags and launched herself into the darkness just as JoJo came racing back into the room.

JOSH'S POV

I just carried on walking in the darkness, hoping I could find Jane. But what was the point? I couldn't blame her if she goes to the cops, and I have no idea how I could convince her it wasn't me... and Sweeney... I held back a sob. My dog? What the fuck? I felt so helpless as everything came crashing down on top of me.

How had I got myself into this? All I had done was try to look after Charlotte all those years ago. Admittedly I hadn't spoken or heard from her in a long time - I thought everything was finally getting put to rest. Now her pyscho little sister shows up with a vendetta? Against who? Me, or Jane? So many theories were running through my head... there has to be a connection to everything, but I couldn't focus. Right now Jane was out there somewhere in the darkness, probably completely shit-scared and possibly lost, thinking I'm going to attack her. I internally screamed in frustration... this has to stop. Now.

I paused, someone else was out here with me. I ducked down behind a trailer and listened, whoever it was wasn't moving very fast. I could hear heavy breathing, it was a woman, Jane?

"Jane? Jane? Is that you? I'm not going to hurt you I promise! Please?" She stopped moving, but I could tell she was just the other side of the trailer. I moved slowly so as not to alarm her. "Jane, it's OK, I just want to help?"

I edged around the corner, I could sense she was just feet away from me. I turned and managed to duck as an iron bar came flying towards my head.

"Hiiiiii yaaaaaaaa!" I landed on the floor, and managed to dodge to the right as the bar came towards me again. I looked up to see Lou, covered in blood and bruises, dress torn, looking like a wild woman trying to attack me. I reached up and grabbed the other end of the bar as she swung it at me again.

"Lou, no! It's me!"

"I know it's you Josh!" her voice trembling. "And I know what you are! You killed Sweeney and you tried to kill Jane!"

"No! No! You don't understand! I've been set up, I promise! It's Charlotte and her sister! Remember I told you about them? They're back, I don't know what their plan is, but it's not good!"

Lou seemed to soften and dropped the bar. We eyeballed each other for what felt like ages, she was clearly trying to sort things out in her mind, and decide whether to trust me or not.

"OK, I may have crossed paths with them myself, they're here. I guess I believe you..." she offered me a small smile. "We're not the only ones in trouble, though, this is bigger than we thought..." Lou quickly filled me in on the events over the last few hours...

Once she finished, we once again stood there in silence. Fuck! So they had Jane? AND the boys? _And_JoJo has a gun?

"Josh!" Lou broke into my thoughts "Someone's coming, duck!" We crawled under the trailer and waited for the person to pass... slowly a man's pair of legs came into view. "Teddy!" Lou practically screamed as she dragged herself back out from underneath the trailer.

"Lou Lou Bear! Where have you guys been? What are you doing under there? I can't find anyone - did you know the power is out?"

"Long story" She pulled him into a hug "I need you to just listen to us for a minute." And once again the story about Charlotte still being alive and possibly working with JoJo was repeated to James. His face became stony as he realised the severity of the situation. Out of everyone James knew only too well what Charlotte was capable of... He turned to me, "Josh, it's time we end this... it's time to channel Rambo..." he looked at Lou - "and probably a hint of Lara Croft...we need a plan..." he started walking in circles and stroking his chin, like a modern day Sherlock Holmes. He turned towards me and Lou, with a slight smile on his face.

"But first, we need a team name... any ideas?"

**I've been writing loads recently so will update again next week! THANK YOU to all the people who have viewed and reviewed, it means so much!**

**BT**

**XOX**


	29. Chapter 29

**OK, we're nearly at the end...thanks for sticking with it so far, there are still a few more chapters to go!**

**Usual disclaimer - this is a story, any resemblance to persons alive or dead is a coincidence...events are from my imagination or fictitious ;-)**

CHAPTER 29

LOU'S POV

_Two years in the future..._

_I bounced the giggling baby on my knee. He was absolutely adorable, I just couldn't get enough of him. I planted a big kiss on his chubby cheeks and sniffed the top of his head. There really was nothing like that baby powder smell. I hadn't ever really liked kids, I'd never seen them in my future, but then you can never tell, can you? Since this little dude had arrived, my priorities were definitely starting to shift._

"_Hey! How's my awesome dude?" I turned to see Graupner enter the room and bound over to me and the baby, who squealed in delight as Ben swooped him up and dangled him above his head._

"_Careful, he might puke on you again!" I said, smiling at Ben. I loved it when he showed his softer side._

"_Aw, I don't mind, The Dude can puke on me how ever many times he wants!" Ben was the first to start calling him The Dude; hardly anyone called him by his real name. He lowered the baby and started jiggling him in his arms, as The Dude's pudgy little arms reached for the shades on top of his head. "Whoah little dude, I said you could puke on me but don't touch my shades, your mom got me those!" He beamed at me and we shared a smile._

_I heard a voice call out from the hall way "Hello? Anyone in?"_

"_In here Jane!" I called back, moving to the kitchen. I could guess what the next words out of her mouth would be._

"_Could I get a..."_

"_Coffee?" I said, placing the mug into her hands. _

_She sighed, "Thanks Lou! I needed this!"_

"_You ALWAYS need a coffee when you've pulled an all-nighter in the studio!" I laughed. She took a sip and smiled, and turned her attention to Ben and the baby._

_She walked over and ruffled the baby's head, giving Ben a quick kiss. "And how are my favourite guys?" she said, letting the baby grasp her finger._

"_Gassy. But The Dude here is fine!" Jane and I rolled our eyes, he always made the same joke._

_Jane sat down and put the mug to one side, and opened up her arms "Here" she said, gesturing for the baby, who was now sucking on Ben's wedding ring. He laughed as he wiped the slobber off and passed the baby to Jane._

"_Careful, he might swallow that one day" I said, carrying two more mugs from the kitchen._

"_Then his dad will have to fork out for another one, since he lost the original on my wedding day!" he said, twisting the band around his finger._

_Jane giggled and cooed at the baby on her lap, his small hands patting her face. "How has he been? Did he sleep OK?"_

"_Ben, or the baby?" I joked. "Both were fine. He was a good as gold"_

"_Awww, you didn't miss me Little Man?" she said, bouncing him on her knee._

_I sat down next to her. The Dude burped, and then dribbled down Jane's arm. She quickly wiped it away, before it reached the scar on her forearm. We both stopped for a moment looking at her arm. It seemed like so long ago since that night in Texas, but then hardly any time at all. "Don't think about it" she said gently, "I don't. Besides, I like to think if that night never happened, then this Little Dude wouldn't have come about! And don't forget this!" she held up her wrist displying the brand new small black horseshoe tattoo identical to mine, just on the opposite arm. _

_I smiled, pushing back the memories of that night. Somedays it still felt raw. "Anyway, " I said brighty, "We both know I'm his favourite!" _

"_Ha! Think you'll have a hard fight against Graupner! Besides, he's a real daddy's boy"_

_I reached out and ruffled the baby's dark curls. "You know, with that hair he almost looks like..."_

_Jane cut me off, "DON'T you dare go there!" She was joking, of course. You only had to look at the baby's distinctive eyes to know who his dad was._

_Jane stayed silent as she looked at her scar again. She said she didn't think about it, but I knew she always had that constant reminder of the night she nearly died for the second time. And the night we lost someone dear to us._

PRESENT DAY

LOU'S POV

I couldn't help but giggle. Josh looked like he was going to explode.

"Calm down man, I was joking. Chill" said James, patting him on the back. Josh looked incredulous.

"We just told you your high school sweetheart is still alive after faking her own death and now she's gone psycho with her little sister, and all you can do is make jokes?" he raged.

"All joking aside we need to do something fast" I said, "Jane could be in danger and the guys are still all tied up"

James nodded. "Let's get going". He grabbed my hand and pulled me between the rows of trailers were it was dark, "I think I saw a building this way"

"That's where JoJo's keeping the guys, and where I last saw Jane" I said, "But how are we going to get them out when she's got a gun? And why can't we just call the POLICE?"

"No. The cops will take too long to get here. Do you really wanna leave your friends alone with those pyschos any longer?" He's right. I shook my head at him. "Ok , we have to do this now. Let's scope the exits first, see where she's likely to get away. Then we can figure out a way to take her out"

"She's not working alone though, remember?" Josh came up behind us, and James stopped in his tracks.

"What is it she wants exactly?" he asked us. I shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe JoJo wants Jackson to be hers for ever and ever..."

Josh turned to me, "That's crazy!"

"No, " said James, "It's not." We stared at him. "No, I mean it is and it isn't. We need to start thinking crazy so we can work out her next move. Think about it, if JoJo does want Jackson to herself, then what does Charlotte want?"

He eyeballed Josh.

"Me," said Josh. "She wants me".

JACKSON'S POV

JoJo stormed to the stage, "Goddammit! Where is she?" she screamed.

Internally, I breathed a sigh of relief. Jane must have been able to escape.

JoJo pulled out her phone again and jabbed a number in.

"It's me," she said, stalking the stage. "She's gone...I DON'T KNOW WHERE! She's not where you said she is!"

She walked to the end of the stage where Johnson was following her every move. Jerad turned to me and raised his eyebrows, as if to say, "Let's do this!"

I quickly shook my head, "Not now Bro, bide your time" I thought. Man I hope he could read thoughts.

JoJo finished her conversation and tossed the phone across the stage in disgust. Suddenly, she screamed in rage and pulled her leg back, swinging it forward to swipe the legs of Johnson's chain. The poor guy instinctively threw his arms out to save himself, alerting JoJo to the fact we were now untied.

She stood dumbfounded as Johnson tumbled to the floor. "What? Why are you...?"

Suddenly, Graupner leapt into action, "Let's do this!" he cried, lunging from his chair towards JoJo.

Jerad was fast behind him, tackling JoJo to the floor and trying to grapple the gun from her.

"Jackson...could...really...do...with...some...help!" he said, amongst JoJo's cries. She was lashing about, scratching and snarling like a wild animal.

I ran over to the edge of the stage, but as I did I heard a distinctive click.

"Leave her alone. Now" said an even voice. I looked up to see the barrel of a gun pointed right between my eyes.

JAMES' POV

The crazy sonofabitch was actually going to go through with it.

"Josh, please, don't go through with this! It's too dangerous" Lou pleaded, grabbing his arm.

He shook his head. "It's me she wants. I have to do this...for Jane..."

I touched Lou's shoulder, "Let him be, it's what he wants to do"

She brushed me off. That stung.

"What if she kills you? Or Jane?" she said, still hanging on to him.

"She won't, I know Charlotte"

I grabbed her arms and pulled her back towards my chest. I may as well relish all the contact I had with her whilst I can.

Josh stared at her, "I will make sure that nothing ever, ever hurts Jane. But I need to do this."

"You're making yourself live bait for the sharks, Josh! At least let me help!"

I brushed my lips to her ear, and felt her shudder, and then relax slightly. "It's the only way we can get Charlotte out into the open" I whispered. She nodded slowly.

"Thanks, " said Josh. "Now lets get in there and end this for good".

JACKSON'S POV

I pulled my hands back and slowly backed away. Jerad and Graupner let go of JoJo, and backed away. She scrambled up and stood next to the brunette with the icy blue eyes who was pointing a gun straight at me.

"JoJo, what the FUCK is going on? I thought you'd said you'd taken care of these?" she said, waving the gun at us, making us flinch.

"I'm so sorry Charlie, they just, they just...I don't know."

Suddenly I heard a squeak, like rubber on wood, and in the corner of my eye saw Johnson make a break for it. He dashed towards the back of the stage, but I knew it would be too late.

"No!" screamed Charlie, as she fired a shot. It was like watching a movie in slow motion as I saw my friend suddenly stop and slump to the ground.

LOU'S POV

We all jumped at the bang. I clung to James. "What was that? Oh god you don't think they've found Jane, do you?"

"It sounded like a gunshot" said Josh, looking very pale. He ran towards where the sound rung out, back towards the stage. I made to go after him, but James pulled me back.

"No, Lou, we have to wait here, if Josh distracts her then we can overpower her"

I put my hands to my face. "I can't wait" I said, "I need to know Jane is safe!"

He grabbed my hand, "Come on" he said, pulling me towards the stair well.

The building was still in complete darkness, but I could make out the base of the stairs where I'd fallen.

"Up there" I pointed, "That's where I went over the bannister before going into the stage bit. Jane must be up there."

He motioned for me to be silent, and started to make his way up the stairs. I stayed behind him, trying to ignore the pain in my ankle and arms. I'd probably only fallen about 10 feet, but adrenaline was pushing me on.

James suddenly stopped, "Lou, what's that?" he said, pointing to a dark object on the floor ahead of us.

"That's the flashlight!" I exclaimed, "It went out and that bitch pushed me!, I landed a flight down. She must be here somewhere!"

"Check all the rooms" said James, as he started to dash down the corridor checking all the windows to the classrooms. I tried a few doors, but there were all locked.

"Lou, this way!" he said, beckoning me over to the one door which didn't have a window. I could just make out the sign, it was the door to the catwalk that overlooked the stage. We went in. I hoped Jane was OK.

JACKSON'S POV

"Don't any of you DARE trying to make a break for it!" said Charlie, with the gun still raised.

I heard Johnson cry as JoJo sat us back in our chairs and went to grab more rope. I felt a small peal of relief - if he was making a sound, then he was still conscious. I tried to turn my head but JoJo turned it back to hers. "Don't worry Jackson. Everything's going to be OK" she said softly, "Soon it'll just be you, me and the baby..."

I recoiled in horror. What? This girl wasn't just mad, she was full on out of this world bat shit crazy.

Jerad and Ben's eyes widened at me as I shook my head. It couldn't be true, could it? No! She's crazy!

Charlie came back over to JoJo, "So you've told him then? I was waiting for that piece of news to come out"

JoJo nodded, and folded her arms protectively over her stomach. Tears started to prick her eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that Jackson? Aren't you happy I'm carrying your child?"

But how? She must be making it up!

She carried on looking at me, "How could you forget that night? You were pissed off at Heather and you were so nice to me, you kept rambling on about that stupid bitch Jane and I said I'd make it all better..."

I vaguely remembered the night she was talking about. It was just after the Kittens had started with us, and Heather had been acting like a jerk, I was drunk, and confused as I was starting to like Jane, and JoJo was a shoulder to cry on, but we didn't, did we?

"JoJo, snap out of it!" chided Charlie, "That stupid bitch isn't where I left her, you've got to find her before she gets to her mate and they ruin it all again for us!"

If I wasn't freaked out before, I was now.

LOU'S POV

I darted across the catwalk suspended above the stage. I stopped in the middle to peer over the stage. Below me, I could make out JoJo and another figure on the stage and what looked like …. NO! I yelped, but James came up behind me and clamped his hand over my mouth. I pointed to the stage, and he looked over. I had seen a pool of blood forming, but couldn't see whose it was. All I knew was, it wasn't JoJo and who I guessed, was her sister.

I heard a muffled cry and looked up. In half darkness at the end of the catwalk I could make out a shape on the floor, wrists and ankles bound. It was Jane. She was safe! I scrembled over to her and pulled the gag out of her mouth. I threw my arms around her, "I can't believe we nearly keep on dying!"

She stayed still as I untied her, and I recoiled in shock as I saw her arm had been slashed. "Jane, what happened, what did she do?" Blood was started to pool around her. She looked at me, wide-eyed, her face stained with tears, "Are you alone?" she whispered, "Where's Josh?"

"Jane, you're bleeding! Did she shoot you? Was that the gun shot? Shit!" I ripped a strip of fabric from my dress to act as a bandage to stop the flow.

"No. Charlotte shot Johnson" I let out a silent scream, but she shushed me, "I think he's OK, he's crying out. We have to get down there."

"But Josh is going to confront her. Whilst she's distracted, we're going to try and get her!" I looked around for anything we could drop off the catwalk onto her head.

"No! She'll realise it's a trap straight away!"

I hadn't reckoned on that. They had only been in contact via email, of course she'd be suspicious if he suddenly came out of the shadows and gave himself over to her.

I tightened the bandage, "Lou," she said shakily, "Have you seen James?" I nodded, "Yeah, he's over there", I said. Why hadn't he come with me, I suddenly realised?

She stiffened and backed away, "Lou! James did this to me! We have to go, NOW!"

I stared at her is disbelief, "He, he helped Charlotte...he tied me up, she - she cut me...then left me here " I swallowed to stop the tears. This was a trap. She'd left Jane here for me to find.

I grabbed her arm and hoisted her up and tried to bust the door open with my shoulder.

A hand circled my wrist, "I don't think you should do that" said James. I whirled around. He fixed me with a stare and yelled over the catwalk, "They're up here!" Jane recoiled and shrank away from him.

Everything felt like it was going in slow motion. Jane made a break for it back to where she had been standing, but James darted after her and grabbed her. "Lou, run!" she screamed.

I backed away, but James whipped around, with Jane struggling in his arms. "Don't do anything stupid, Lou Lou Bear. Stay here" he said evenly.

"Wh-what's going on? James?"

Jane struggled to break free, but he tightened his grip. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a flick knife.

"NO!" I said, reaching forward.

He held up the knife, "I'm not going to hurt her, and I'm not going to hurt you. But you need to know you can't do anything stupid, because I can't protect you"

"What's going on? Teddy, I don't understand! Why are you doing this?"

His expression pained, "I thought I loved her Lou, I really thought I did. But then you came along, and it wasn't meant to happen...but then I fell for you"

"Loved who James?" I couldn't take my eyes off the knife, so dangerously close to Jane's throat.

He winced, "Charlotte. I thought I could make it all OK, but then I found out Groban knew she was alive too, and I knew she'd been lying to me" he said the last part through gritted teeth.

"You knew she was alive? But why...why are Jane and I involved?"

I heard a laugh behind me. "This isn't a fucking movie, you stupid bitch! I'm not about to reveal my evil plan just yet!" Sam, or rather Charlotte, stepped onto the catwalk, blocking my exit.

"You'll work it out soon enough, maybe before you and your bitch friend die in front of your beloved Monkeys!"

"No!" I cried

"Noooooooo!" she mimicked, before pointing a gun at me, "Now get the fuck downstairs before I throw you off this platform."

I heard James yell, and whipped my head around to see Jane freeing herself from his arms, bringing her head forward: she must have lunged back and headbutted him. He waved the knife as he staggered backwards.

"STOP! STOP OR I'LL FUCKING BLOW YOUR HEAD OFF!" screamed Sam/Charlotte aiming the gun at her. Jane jumped onto the rail and pulled herself up, blood spilling down her arm.

She looked me in the eyes as Charlotte screamed again and James lunged for her, blood streaming from his nose. His fingers just brushed the back of her jeans as I was left open mouthed as Jane launched herself over the rail.

**Stay tuned for the next chapter! As usual would love to know your thoughts! **

**BT**

**XOX**


	30. Chapter 30

**Here we go – as usual any resemblance to people alive or dead is a coincidence…**

**WARNING - we're nearing the end ... ;(**

JANE'S POV

It took a second for the pain to register, my bones felt like jelly and my head was throbbing. I had landed in a heap at JoJo's feet, my knees had smacked into the wooden stage, my top half somehow landed on top of Jackson's chest. I vaguely registered that he had somehow tried to break my fall. I tried to lift my head to speak to him, then a sensation like lightning hit every nerve ending all at once, i began to feel the white-hot pain sear up my body through my bones, wave upon wave, combining with the hot sting of the uncontrollable pain from the cut on my arm, where she'd made me watch the knife go in.

"Bitch!" My vision was blurred, but i could regonise the voice of Jojo, standing above me, screaming at me. Suddenly i felt a rage so deep begin i felt the adrenaline saw through my veins, I shut my eyes, gritted my teeth and with all the strength i had left swung my legs as hard as i could at Jojo, as i took her legs out from beneath her the gun flew out of her hand as she screamed and landed with a thud on the floor next to me.

And that was my last memory of that tragic night in Texas.

JACKSON'S POV

I felt Jane slump back against me, i pulled her to me, "Jane, darlin', wake up, please!" As i shook her, her head lolled back and rested on my shoulder, she was barely breathing, just short, raspy grasps for air. I winced as i saw the large, deep wound on Jane's forearm, a steady stream of warm blood leaving her body. "Jane!"

JERAD'S POV

I saw the gun leave her hand and lunged for it. At the same time I saw Graupner lunge for Jojo, he landed on top of her and wrapped her hands behind her back. The gun skidded to a halt feet away from me, without hesitating i grabbed it and threw it as hard as i could towards the back of the auditorium, i heard it land somewhere at the back of the room and turned towards Ben and Jojo. "Hey, careful - just in case she's telling the truth!" I shouted at him, pointedly starring at her stomach. "Gotcha!" He shouted back, struggling with her whilst she screamed for Jackson.

"J!" I shielded my eyes from the stage lights and could just make out Johnson waving at me, slumped in the audience seats. Thank god. I jumped off the stage and raced to him.

SAM (MANAGER) POV

"So wear the fuck are they then?" Damn these girls, i took this because i thought this was just an easy job, just to prove to dad i could do it, and then he'd give me a _real _band to work with. I had no idea that these Kittens would be the ones teaching _me_. Jesus, with Jane's tenacity and Lou's wit, those girls run rings round most guys they meet, and no doubt they've broken a fair few hearts to. Not to forget their knock-out looks. They had taught me more than anyone else (including my father) after the last few years. My girls. They're _my _girls, and i'm supposed to look after them, dammit! I was trying to keep my temper and voice calm but his was just ridiculous. I looked around the security office which now resembled a busy train station in India First there's a bloody gas explosion and now these pricks have lost the girls and the Monkey's? I turned to Marty who was raking his hand through his hair, trying to call the boy's numbers, over and over again. Where the fuck are they?

'Look Gary says, "i'm sorry - but obviously, all that's gone on tonight, we don't have the staff capacity - i've sent a couple of the runners to the park to find anyone we haven't checked off the list - they'll bring them back. We just er..., have to see see to have a problem with the radios - that's all."

"What the fuck do you mean, that's all?" I spat at him. "Those girls were RIGHT NEXT to that trailer! This is stupid. I looked for my jacket, looks like i'll have to sort this one myself.

The door opened and Uncle Larry, looking more stressed than i've ever seen him entered the room. Come to think of it - i don't think i've _ever _seen this guy stressed... He waved and headed over to Marty. I followed him; "Hey Larry, have you seen the girls? Are the boys with you?"

"No man, i've been looking for those cats everywhere." He shrugged his shoulders, "some chick came found me in the bar, told me not to go near the park and head here...she said the boys were here?"

"No, well... not yet. This girl, does she work here? Did she come back with you?"

"Nah, she said she was going to find the girls. Weird, she knew my name too - she said the boys wanted me to come here".

Right. I'm fixing this. I nodded my head at Marty.

"Hey man, this place is being run by fucking idiots. I'm going to look for them, stay here and keep trying their cells - i'll call if i find anything..."

"I need to gather _my _pack back together also" Uncle Larry was by my side in lightening time. I grabbed a flashlight and we headed out into the night. I had a bad feeling about what lay ahead.

GRAUPNER'S POV

"JACKSON, THE BABY! DON'T LET HIM HURT OUR BABY!"

"Stay still woman!" I'd managed to get her on a chair and tie her hands behind her back, but until i tied her ankles she was still wriggling like an angry pitbull trapped in a fishing net. She was bright red, her hair everwhere, looking like a banshee, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"JACKSON! LEAVE HER - SHE CAN'T GIVE YOU WHAT I CAN!"

"Graupner!" Jackson shouted from the other side of the stage. "For fucks sake - gag her or something!"

He was cradling Jane against his chest. She wasn't moving. Was he _crying? _

Jojo continued to scream, i pulled the gag that was still hanging round my throat and put it on her. I didn't mute her, but it certainly dimmed the volume. We just had to hold it together - Lou had escaped, what?, nearly an hour ago? She must have called the police by now - we just have to wait it out. I called to Jerad - "Dude! Is he ok?"

"Yeah!" I could hear him but the stage lights in my eyes prevented me from being able to see them.

"It just grazed him - he's ok!"

Suddenly the stage exit door to my left burst open. We all froze, and i felt instant relief sweep over me - Lou stood in the doorway, starring straight at me. Wow, i just have to think of her and there she is. I felt myself begin to grin goofily at her. Maybe she _is _my guardian Angel. hang on. Her expression was.. pained.. confused? I saw her eyes drift from mine towards Jackson and Jane on the floor behind me. She screamed. It was only then that i realised that she wasn't alone. James stood behind her gun in hand, and behind him, Charlotte holding another gun - inches from Lou's head.

JERAD'S POV

Oh, Fuck.

My eyes darted between Lou and James. Was he playing along? This had to be fake, right? He wouldn't do this...

Charlotte looked in Jackson's direction. I felt my blood begin to literally boil as she looked at Jane lying in his arms and actually laughed. "I'd give up if i were you! Doesn't look like your precious Kitten can handle the pressure!"

His face was set in stone, i could see every muscle tense in his body, as if we wanted to take a running leap at her - i knew he wouldn't, he couldn't leave Jane...

I couldn't help myself. "James, what the fuck? what are you doing?" Lou stood there in shock, not taking her eyes off Jane and Jackson. Silent tears running down her face. James' expression didn't change, he kept the gun steady, ignoring me.

"Lou!" suddenly Graupner makes a run for her. "Stop!" Charlotte whirled round and pointed the gun directly at him. He froze on the spot. "Untie my sister or i swear to god i'll start shooting and i won't stop!" I caught his eye and nodded to him, do it. She was sweating, the blood had rushed to her face and she was shaking, the gun vibrating slightly in her hand. I had no doubt that she would pull the trigger any second. Ben remained still, and stared down Charlotte.

"I'll untie her if you let Lou go first." Oh, god. What was he _doing..?_

"Fine" she smiled back at him and turned to her back to us. I heard her coolly say; "James, shoot her".

"No!"

I looked at James, still expressionless, his eyes focused on the back of Lou's head. His hand started shaking. Shit, i think he might do it. We all stood frozen to the spot, not knowing what to do.

Charlotte took a couple of steps up the side of the stage, still only feet away from Lou and James, her gun still pointed at Graupner. I watched Lou turn to face James and the gun - what the fuck was she doing?

She spoke to him calmly and softly, i couldn't hear what she was saying, but whatever it was had an effect on him. Tears started to fall from his eyes, and his expression softened, but the gun remained pointed at Lou's face.

"James - are you going to fucking do this or shall i?" Charlotte had really lost it now, screaming at the top if her lungs. "Shoot her, shoot her! DO IT!"

James really started losing it, he was shaking even more, in between sobs i saw him mouth 'I'm sorry' at Lou, and saw his finger move to the trigger.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Then everything happened in a blur. Josh jumped out from behind the stage curtain, wrapping his arms round Charlotte, who screamed and struggled against him. They grappled, and fell off the stage on top of James, knocking Lou to the floor. I heard frantic footsteps rush past me and looked up in time to see Larry and Sam rush in towards the bundle of writhing bodies on the floor, "LOU!" Sam shouted and dived on top of her, at the same time BANG! a gunshot rang out through the theatre. I heard Sam cry out, then watched his body fall like a dead weight. Everything went silent for a moment, and I was left with no doubt in my mind that the bullet had hit him, and had thus taken his life.

JACKSON POV

I flinched as the gun went off - in the chaos i couldn't see if anyone was hurt. Jerad and Ben kept calling for Lou - i prayed to god she was ok. Jane was still unconcious in my arms, i couldn't stop the bleeding, i was completely helpless watching her fade away in my arms.

The doors at the back of the theatre suddenly flung open. A pool of light spread out over the empty chairs in the audience. "Police. Freeze!" Suddenly it seemed like a million people had entered the building. It was chaos, armed police entered, surveying the situation, Larry, Jerad and Lou were huddled over Sam, who remained completely still on the floor. Cops rushed at them, holding down Charlotte, Josh and James.

"It's her! I told you!" A voice i regonised entered the room. Heather. What the fuck? "I told you - they did this together!" She had cops with her and was running towards the stage. Her eyes skimmed the stage and she froze when she saw me, her eyes drifted towards Jane's lifeless body, and her expression softened with remorse. 'I'm sorry.' She mouthed at me and shook her head. I just stared back. I couldn't feel anything anymore. Her expression hardened. She headed straight for Jojo, who thankfully was still tied up. She looked her in the eye and smacked her hard across the face.

"Bitch! You did this! You did all of this!" She pointed wildly at Jane "It was you who electrocuted her wasn't it? You set me up!"

She carried on screaming at her, I saw paramedics rush in with a stretcher. I called to them as loud as i could.

I was beginning to lose hope - she was pale, she was barely breathing now. I pulled her body closer and rested my face against her neck and felt my body release uncontrollable sobs. Graupner sat next to me, holding Jane's hand in his. Silent tears running down his face.

Please god, please just let her wake up - she doesn't deserve this, any of this. Suddenly she was being prised out of my hands.

Graupner grabbed hold of me and we stood back watching the paramedics begin to work on Jane. We watched silently as they began to bandage up the huge knife wound on her arm, i looked on hopelessly as they tried to stop the bleeding from the wound that had cut our 'J' tattoo in half.

**Thanks for staying with it, guys - i'm not done yet, but nearly there! **

**It means a lot that you've kept with it so far, BT xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	31. Chapter 31

**All persons referenced are imaginary ;) **

**So, here we are at the end - but not quite! There's plenty more where this came from - what happens to James, is Ben going to tell Lou how he really feels, when is Jerad going to get married and will Jackson and Jane ever get it together, or will she go for good-guy Josh?**

CHAPTER 31

LOU'S POV

_**One year later.**_

"_Thank you! Thanks everyone, you were awesome!" I waved to the crowd as the lights went down on the stage. _

"_Woo hoo! Well done!" Jake bounded over and gave me a hug as I stepped off stage. "That was good, wasn't it?" I smiled. It felt good to be back on stage again, although it was weird without Jane. I subconsciously touched the horseshoe tattoo on my wrist, like I did every time I thought of her._

"_Yayyy!" I suddenly caught in the middle of a Ben sandwich - Johnson on my left, Graupner on my right. We jumped up and down like little kids, but we were celebrating after our first gig as 'Mechnical Hearts', a kind of sub, sub group of the 'Two Bens and one Jake's band, as they'd been called. _

_Johnson and Jake were quickly swamped by their girlfriends, leaving me with Graupner._

"_So, how does it feel not to be sat behind a drum kit?" he said, looking at me through his long hair. I wish he would get it cut, but it did make him look kinda cute._

"_Weird," I laughed, "I'm not used to standing for so long!"_

"_And what about performing without Jane?" he said, guiding me towards the area we'd set up backstage to have a drink after the gig. Damn Graupner, I swear sometimes he could read my thoughts. _

_I stopped in my tracks. "It was...it was OK" I said, feeling my throat constrict. We both knew it was hard for me to talk about, when he first asked me to join his new band I cried for two hours straight, I wasn't sure I could face going on without her. We'd been a band for so long, and it wasn't unusual for musicians to have side projects, but this almost felt like cheating._

_I could feel tears welling in my eyes but fought to keep them down, "I just miss her so much Ben" Everything had changed after Texas, not necessarily for the good. I had lost someone very dear to me._

"_Shhh, shhh don't cry Lou Lou Bear. I know you do" he pulled me into a hug and I buried my face into his chest. He gave me a quick peck on the top of my head and a pat on the back, "Come with me, I have a surprise for you"_

_Reluctantly, I let Ben pull me into the room where assorted family and friends were. I knew that this band was only a side project, but I couldn't help comparing it to 'the old days' when we were all on tour together. It made me laugh to think about how naive Jane and I were back then. We had no idea what was in store for us. After 'that' tour and everything else that happened in Europe, I decamped here to L.A for a while to get my head straight. I knew it wasn't permanent, it was meant to be a bit of a holiday, and I'd figured Ben asked me to guest in their band to help occupy me so I wouldn't go mad on my own. I resolved to stop being over dramatic about Jane and to pull myself together._

_Suddenly, a pair of hands were over my eyes, "Are you ready for your surprise?" said Ben, pushing me forward. I sighed, "Yes, I'm ready"_

_He pulled his hands down and it took me a second to realise what I was meant to be looking at. And there, in the middle of the crowd, there she was._

"_Jane!" I screamed, running towards her. She gave an embarrassed wave from where she was sitting as I lunged for a hug._

"_Calm down Lou, it's only been six weeks since I saw you!" she said, patting my back._

"_I know, I know, but I missed you! And you've gotten so big!" I said. She smiled back at me and rubbed her stomach. "Seven months now!" she said proudly._

"_You look like you're about to burst!" I said, giving her belly a rub. She rolled her eyes, "Thanks Lou! Could always count on you to be tactful!"_

_We caught up on everything we'd been up to since I'd left her in White Rock; we'd both decided to get some breathing space whilst we wrote the next album and well, y'know, get ready for the impending birth. Johnson and Graupner sat down with us, and to my delight Uncle had seen the show as well. It was almost like old times. Almost._

"_So, how's the new Kitty-cat material coming along" said Uncle, still wearing his sunglasses although we were inside._

"_It's good, it's good" said Jane, still rubbing her belly. "What did the record company say after you junked the first lot?" asked Johnson. "There's not much they could do really. We didn't like it, so we got rid of it" she replied, reaching over for some crisps on the table beside her._

"_I bet they didn't like you storming off the set of your video!" laughed Graupner, taking a swig of his beer. Jane and I shared a look. Jane had stormed off the set of the last video we'd made, complaining about the skimpy costumes and the fact we were promoting a song we'd written in a hurry and neither of us particularly liked that much. It had been widely reported in the music press and of course, through our association, in the gossip columns. She had a point, but we were yet to find out about her current condition, which explained the sudden mood swing!_

"_Yeah, they didn't like that" she laughed. We were interrupted by Nate, a friend of mine and Jane's from the record company who had met the Monkeys a few times whilst we were in Europe._

"_Hey guys! How's it all going? Great gig by the way!" said Nate. He was like an enthusiastic puppy._

"_Cheers Nate!" I said, clinking his beer with mine, "You've met the Bens before, and Uncle?"_

"_Hi! Yeah hi guys!" he said, acknowledging them all, "Say, how's your band? What was it, 100 Monkeys?"_

_We all stiffened at the mention of the band. I knew what was coming next, "That, ah, actor-dude's in your band, isn't he? How are rehearsals coming along?" Jane shifted in her chair, whether it was because of the baby or because of 'him', I wasn't sure._

_Everyone looked at each other. 100 Monkeys was the elephant in the room, so to speak. Finally, Ben G spoke, "Yeah, it's OK. We've been rehearsing, it's good" Nate nodded, and I heard Johnson mumble under his breath "SOME of us have been rehearsing"_

_Nate made small talk before rejoining his friends. "Things aren't going so well then?" I said slowly. The Bens just looked at each other - it was an unspoken rule that none of us mentioned 'the other band' whilst we were rehearsing as Mechanical Hearts, and to be honest, I didn't want to know. I wanted to remember them as they all were back then, not as they were now. PLus every time I thought about Jackson it was hard for me not to get angry,_

"_Cat's gotta do what a cat's gotta do, y'know?" said Uncle, "Now, can I get you ladies another refreshment?" he left us to go to the drinks table._

_I looked at the Bens, "So, I guess Jerad's taken Jackson's side?", I said, looking at Jane, who just stared at her nails._

"_Not quite, but I guess you could say that" said Johnson, "Let's just say we've got an awkward conversation to have". His eyes had gone dark._

"_It's not because of me, is it?" said Jane. I half wanted to slap her, half hug her. Even after everything, she still considered what Jackson must be going through. I know what he did and he had to do mustn't have been easy for him, but still..._

_Johnson took her hand and smiled, "No, it's not you. Or the bundle of joy. Jackson's just being...Jackson"_

_JACKSON'S POV_

_Two years after Texas..._

_It was only meant to have been a bit of fun._

_My mind was racing a mile a minute as I sat in the doctor's office. As he sat back down at his desk in front of me, I half expected him to deliver the results like Maury Povich, or Jerry Springer. I was surprised my agent hadn't had a call from any of those trashy talk shows yet, given the mess I was in. Instead, he handed me a thick white envelope with my name typed on the front, and CONFIDENTIAL in large, dark letters._

"_You may prefer to open the results on your own, Mr Rathbone, given the circumstances. But please do call me if you have any questions."_

_I smirked, "Am I likely to have any questions? Is there likely to be any doubt?"_

_He looked at me over his half-moon glasses, "Mr Rathbone, our tests are 99.9% failsafe. True, there is always a margin of error, shall we say. But if the result is not what you were hoping for, should a second and third test prove different results we refund all costs plus 50%"_

_I raised my eyebrows at him._

"_Yes, Mr Rathbone, we're THAT confident."_

_I thought I was going to open the envelope in my car, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I sat staring at it in the car park for what felt like hours. It was only meant to have been a bit of fun, I kept on telling myself. I drove around the city for a while, not really knowing where I was heading, lost in my thoughts. Every now and then I would glance at the envelope on the seat beside me, until I realised I'd ended up on Rain Avenue. I slowed as I got to her house._

_It was stupid, I know. This was not the best time to engineer a meeting, but I needed to be near her. I was pulled out of my thoughts by my phone. It was Ash. I sighed, I couldn't bring myself to talk to her right now. She wanted to be with me when I got the results, but the paps would have had a field day with that one. I cancelled the call, knowing full well she would get on the phone to Jerad, who would be the next one to call. Sure enough, Jerad's picture appeared on the screen. I sighed and pressed cancel again. There was only one person I wanted to talk to, but I hadn't spoken to her for months._

_I thought it was a row like any other. We'd shout, and then kiss and make up. After everything that had happened in Texas, I really thought we would have made it. But then I had to go and mess it all up again. I laughed as I recalled Johnson's attempt to get us to make up before 'The Big Split' at a British festival, and thought of the handcuffs tattoo I'd gotten in commemoration. But then the rows started again. Our schedules had forced us to go our separate ways, her on tour, me back on set, which should have given us time to cool off. But then I saw that picture of her and HIM again, despite the problems he had caused us, and I lost it. I'd thrown myself into partying and drinking, much to the dismay of the guys. They'd helped me through, but nothing could numb the pain._

_And just when I thought I'd finally found the bottom of the whiskey bottle, I'd stumbled into that club, purely because they were playing one of Jane's songs. And I met the girl who would ultimately change my life forever._

_It was fun. I was able to forget Jane for a while. But nothing could compare to that connection I'd felt, and it was too obvious. I couldn't fully give myself over, telling her it was because I wanted to avoid another relationship in the public eye, but she still put up with me and joined us on the road for a short time. But I just kept saying to myself, "It's only a bit of fun" thinking at any moment Jane would just turn up on my doorstep, even though I knew Lou and Ben were at great pains to keep us apart. And at first, they couldn't, we were always drawn together somehow, kept finding each other in random places. And then it all fell apart._

_Ignoring the phone ringing again, I drove on to the only other place I knew she could be. I stopped breathing when I saw her car at Lou's place. I parked outside, craning my neck to look at the window. I felt my world fall away when I saw her in the window, holding The Dude in her arms. Tears brimmed in my eyes as I realised how much I'd missed out on. He was getting so big. And Jane looked as beautiful as ever._

_What was I doing? This wasn't Jane's problem. She had enough of her own at the moment. And how could I be doing this to the girl who stood by me, even though my mind was always with someone else? Who loved me through and through, and yet I'd doubted her when she told me her news. We'd only been together a few months when she dropped the bombshell. And initially I was happy. I could put the past behind me, and start anew. But as Jane marked out a new life for herself, the doubts started to creep in, and I had to find out for sure whether this new baby was mine._

_Either way, I was screwed. If I was the father, I'd put a sweet girl through torture because of my own neuroses. If I wasn't, she'd be dragged through the papers and be on her own. I would have ruined another beautiful girl's life. And a child's. And would either path bring me closer to Jane? Would she still want me after everything that had happened? I had to believe there was still a chance for us, no matter what happened._

_I picked up the envelope and ripped it open. I must have been howling loudly, as the next thing I knew, Graupner had hauled me out of the car and gripped me in a bear hug, as Jane silently stood in the doorway, juggling the small boy with bright green eyes in her arms._

PRESENT DAY

LOU'S POV

My heels were sinking into the soft earth. I wish I'd worn flats. The wheels on Jane's chair were churning up the ground making it difficult to navigate the terrain. She turned her head around, "What's the hold up?" I shunted her wheelchair forward before I started to sink again.

"Nothing, sorry, I just keep on getting stuck!"

"Here, let me" Graupner rushed up beside me and took the handles. I rested my hand on his arm as I pulled my heel up from the mud. It was odd seeing him in a suit. Johnson appeared at my other side and held my elbow as I steadied myself. He carried off a suit better than Graupner did. I held onto him as the four of us trudged up the hill. "How are you feeling?" I asked, trying not to fall. He lightly tapped his side, "OK. Still a bit sore. You?" I just nodded. My injuries were superficial, it was just on the inside I was torn up.

As the flowers and the casket came into view, I heard Jane take a deep breath, "Oh." We all stopped. My throat felt tight. I wasn't sure I could go through with this.

"I'll find out from the pastor where he wants you sit" said Graupner. He kept his eyes ahead and didn't look at me. He hadn't looked at me since I'd been discharged from the hospital. It hurt me more than I wanted to admit. He and Ben walked on ahead, leaving me with Jane.

She opened her bag and pulled out a pack of tissues, handing me one. "I think we're going to need these, don't you?" I looked down at her and gave her a weak smile. She looked so small in that chair. Her right arm was still strapped up, and her right leg was in one of those plastic casts. She'd been in the hospital for less than a week before she made a fuss and discharged herself, insisting she had to be at the funeral. She glanced quickly at her phone before switching it off.

"Has Jackson called you?" I asked, not wanting to move any closer to the flowers and casket yet. I still couldn't believe this was happening. She sighed. "No. He's been a bit weird since I discharged myself. I understand why he didn't want to come today, but still..." Jackson had refused to leave her side whilst she was being treated, but when we came back to LA and continued to stay at Josh's house he starting acting odd. He barely said a word when he was with her, and would make sudden excuses to leave. Even though Ben wouldn't look at me, at least he was here.

Johnson came back and wheeled Jane to the end of the rows of seats overlooking Sam's grave. A framed picture of him stood at the head of his coffin. I felt that lump in my throat again. Since Texas I had been finding it hard to cope with my guilt. If I hadn't fallen for James, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess. Jane wouldn't be in a wheelchair, and Sam wouldn't be dead. Maybe that's why Ben couldn't look at me, maybe he blamed me too. I took the seat at the end next to Jane and stared at the floor. It was hard to accept he was gone. Graupner sat on my other side. He stayed looking ahead, but grabbed my hand from my lap and held it tight. I had to stop a gasp escaping from my mouth and collapsing into a mess of sobs.

The service was sweet, but very sad. Sam's mother had asked Jane and I to deliver a eulogy, "He adored you girls so much" she said, her eyes glistening. I'd always thought Sam just considered us a pain in the neck, given all the hassle we gave him. I wished sometimes I had made more of an effort to be nicer to him. It shouldn't have ended like this. At least Charlotte and JoJo were being dealt with. The file of charges against them given to us by the prosecution lawyer were still sitting in the car. We hadn't quite brought ourselves to read them yet, as far as we were aware they still hadn't given a full explanation of why they did what they did.

It was time for us to speak. Tentatively, Jane got out of her chair, leaning heavily on a crutch while I held onto her other side. I couldn't take my eyes off of the coffin, I was too scared to look at the other mourners in case I dissolved into tears and would be unable to speak.

My voice croaked as I spoke the opening line.

"Seeing as Sam was such a lover of music, it seemed appropriate to read these lyrics, by Leonard Cohen. Sam was more than a manager to us, he was our rock: we owe him so much."

Jane sniffed, "We miss you Sam."

I unfolded the piece of paper in my hand, although I didn't need it.

If it be your will

That I speak no more

And my voice be still

As it was before

I will speak no more

I shall abide until

I am spoken for

If it be your will

If it be your will

That a voice be true

From this broken hill

I will sing to you

From this broken hill

All your praises they shall ring

If it be your will

To let me sing

From this broken hill

All your praises they shall ring

If it be your will

To let me sing

If it be your will

If there is a choice

Let the rivers fill

Let the hills rejoice

Let your mercy spill

On all these burning hearts in hell

If it be your will

To make us well

And draw us near

And bind us tight

All your children here

In their rags of light

In our rags of light

All dressed to kill

And end this night

If it be your will

If it be your will.

Whilst Jane read the final lines I looked out at the other mourners. Josh was standing to the right, dressed in a sombre black suit. He wasn't sure if he was going to make it, but I knew he wanted to pay his respects to Sam. I glanced to see if James had come with him. I had heard from someone at the record company he'd been let out on bail on the condition he wasn't to contact us, but a small part of me hoped that he would still show up, if only just to say sorry. I felt so conflicted. I had really fallen for him, but couldn't get over what he had done, and was prepared to do, for Charlotte. He hadn't actually hurt anyone and Jane, for whatever reason, didn't implicate him in her statement, so I'd followed suit. I knew he was misguided, but I wasn't sure if letting him off the hook was necessarily the best idea.

After the wake, Jane, Josh, the Bens and I sat in a small cafe, sipping coffee and sharing stories about Sam. Ben G still held onto my hand, he hadn't let go since we'd left the service but still wouldn't look me in the eye.

"What did the police tell you, Josh? Have Charlotte or JoJo said anything more?" Jane reached for her coffee and winced. I couldn't believe how matter-of-fact she was being about the whole thing. I could hardly bring myself to talk about it out loud.

Josh looked into his coffee and shrugged. "No, they've not said anything. Thankfully most of it will be kept out of the papers though, they have to reopen the Stenna case so any reporting made could lead to contempt of court." Jane nodded. The police had already told her they had found a link between Charlotte and her and Josh's stalker, Caroline Stenna, the one who ultimately had lead to them to breaking up.

Back at Josh's house, the Bens said goodbye and we arranged to meet up tomorrow afternoon. In the morning Jane and I had a meeting with our new manager who was going to arrange a new place for us to live. We'd declined their offer to go back to England for a while, Jane was in no state to travel just yet and I didn't want to leave her. I figured we'd hang around LA for a while before our next step.

I sat on the end of her bed as she flipped through the case file. "Tough day, huh?" I said. She looked up at me, "You did good today kid". I smiled, "You too".

She looked down at the papers, "The list of charges against Charlotte and JoJo is like a mile long. And they still haven't given a reason, but they've found loads of other people connected to them."

"What do you mean?"

"They seized Charlotte's laptop and found she'd set up loads of email accounts for different online forums. They seem to think she enlisted other fans to get us out of the way..."

"So, she got other people to blow up our car and trash our flat?"

"Looks like it. It's so...weird. JoJo being friends with Heather was no accident either. She deliberately went out of her way to be her friend it seems to get closer to Jackson. Maybe that's why she did it?" She looked up.

"What do you mean?"

She looked thoughtful, "Charlotte always wanted Josh, or James, so she played them off against each other. She hated me being with him so she set up a stalker who was also obsessed with him to break us up. JoJo wanted Jackson, but then we turn up and throw a spanner in the works so they both decide they're going to finish us off for good." She swallowed. "There's something in here about James as well."

"Go on," I replied. I wasn't sure I wanted to hear this.

"He admitted he knew she was alive and that he'd got involved with you so he could get closer to me. He said she'd told him she just wanted to ruin our career and he was still in love with her, but then he realised she was behind all the horrible stuff - remember, he thought Heather was the one who rigged my guitar but after a while he figured there were too many coincidences to ignore. When Charlotte finally revealed her plan that she was going to kill us, he couldn't go through with it."

"But he held a gun to my head! He cut you, Jane! And you lied to the police and said he barely did anything!" I was nearly screaming at her.

Her eyes widened, "As much as what he did was crazy, I honestly believe things would have been a lot worse. He could have handed us straight to Charlotte, but he didn't. He loved you, Lou..."

I held up a hand, "Don't. I don't want to hear it. He was going to shoot me, he sliced your arm, he was in cahoots with Charlotte the whole time..." I was trembling. As much as I hated him right now, inside I was hugging myself. He was in love with me?

"He was never going to shoot you. You know that. The police report says the gun was empty. And my arm, well..." she trailed off.

"He had a knife! Isn't that enough?"

Jane pinched the top of her nose and screwed her eyes shut. "Lou, we may never really know what really happened between JoJo and Charlotte and Josh and James. But as much as James isn't exactly my favourite person right now, I really do think things could have been a lot worse."

I stood up. "Worse than Sam being dead? Because of us?"

"Lou!"

"Don't make excuses for him, Jane. He was going to shoot me and he wanted to kill you."

We stared at each other for a few seconds when the doorbell rang. I sighed, "I'll get that. It's been a tough day. I'll see you in the morning."

I went to the door. It was Jackson. He almost seemed surprised to see me. His hair was a mess, and his eyes were wild. "Lou! I wasn't expecting to see you, ah, um, is Jane awake?"

"Yes. You could have called you know" He nodded and stared at the ground.

"You look a mess. Where were you today?"

He ran his hand over his face and across the stubble on his chin. "I just really need to see Jane. Can I come in, please?"

I sighed and moved to let him pass. Just what was up with him? Before he got to Jane's door I stormed after him,

"This was hard on all of us you know, not just you! Jane has had it the worst and you...you..." I couldn't finish my sentence.

He whirled around, "I know that Lou! Don't think that I don't! How do you think I felt, I was so close to losing her. If she'd, if she'd..." He raked a hand through his hair.

"Then stop being a jerk and be there for her!"

He walked over to me and put his hands on my shoulders, "JoJo said she was pregnant! She said it was mine." I rocked back on my heels. What?

"You cheated on Jane? With JoJo? You BASTARD!" I grabbed hold of his wrists and tore his hands away. I raised my fists to pummel him, but he caught me.

"No! No, it wasn't like that! It was before her and I did anything!" He caught me in a bear hug to stop me from hitting him. "Lou, Lou, JoJo's not pregnant. I just found out. That's why I couldn't be around Jane..." I stiffened in his arms. He released his grip.

"You still slept with her though..."

"I'm not sure I did. I was drunk. You know what that's like" I couldn't believe he had the nerve to smirk. I delivered a stinging slap to his cheek. It felt good.

He looked shocked, and touched his cheek. "I guess I deserved that. But I didn't cheat on Jane. The thing with JoJo was before we got together, and Jane and I got together when I was technically still with Heather, so..."

I folded my arms across my chest. "I'm sorry I slapped you," I mumbled, "But it's been a long day."

Jackson rubbed his cheek, "I know, and I'm sorry. James is sorry too, you know".

I stared at him, "You've heard from him? How?"

"He sent me a text. He's laying low until the court case. He did a bargain, he's going to testify against Charlotte. He's doing it so you and Jane won't have to take the stand."

"What, why?"

Jackson shrugged, "He struck a deal to protect you. Charlotte's not speaking but everything's stacked against her. Since there's little to implicate him anyway, they can;t charge him. He knows you and Jane must have not said anything, so maybe he's returning the favour? If you ask me though, there's more to it than that."

I didn't want to hear anymore. "Go and see Jane, tell her what you told me. I'm going to bed."

"He won't come near you, not if you don't want him to. But he said to say that he's sorry."

I waved him off, "Goodnight, Jackson."

"Lou, we'll have to start getting along again before we get to Europe..." he stopped himself.

"What did you say? Europe?"

"I, I thought you knew, I thought Ben would have told you? We asked to keep you guys on when we go to Europe."

I couldn't believe this.

THE END.

**Thanks SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much for all your reviews and support, I appreciate it so much! So much so that I can't let this story end, so stay tuned for the sequel, would love to hear your ideas! (I hope to post a teaser in the next few days...) xxxxxx**

**It's been great getting to know y'all! May the stories continue - stay cool ;) 'at'beatty_street. **


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